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- DOJ Opposes Immigrant's Attempt to Be a Lawyer, Mexico Better Than Brazil For Investors, and more

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

Department of Justice opposes undocumented immigrant to work as lawyer in California- Federal officials have opposed the attempt of an undocumented Mexican immigrant to become a lawyer in California.

Mexico is a better destination for investors than Brazil- Mexico is a more attractive destination than Brazil for investors, according to an article published in the Business Insider.

U.S.-Mexico trade recovers levels prior to 2009 recession- U.S.-Mexico trade recovered levels previous to the 2009 recession, but it remains stifled by transportation bottlenecks, criminal violence, corruption and other challenges, experts at a border trade conference in Mexico City.

 

Daily Border Bulletin- Mexico Fundraises For College Scholarships Through SMS, NAFTA Needs More Economic Integration, and more

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

Mexico starts cellphone fundraising campaign for college students in the U.S.- Mexicans starting a fundraising campaign to support Mexican and Mexican-American college students in the United States. Until October 31, it allows the public to donate $5 or $10 through text messages to support university students and adults to continue their education.

Microsoft hosts immigration roundtable on H-1B visa cap- The software company Microsoft hosted an immigration roundtable in Washington, D.C. office on Wednesday morning with industry and policy leaders to talk about the skilled worker pipeline in the U.S., particularly the cap on H-1B visas.

NAFTA needs more economic integration to deliver full benefits- The U.S., Canadian, and Mexican economies have all benefited from NAFTA. Not as much as they should have, because—even after 20 years—the three countries still haven’t properly integrated their economies, which makes them competitive in many areas where they should be cooperative.

 

Kristian Ramos Quoted In Huffington Post - Mitt Romney Extends Israel Culture Stir To U.S.-Mexico Economies

NDN/NPI 21st Century Border Policy Director Kristian Ramos was recently quoted in the Huffinton Post

Mitt Romney Extends Israel Culture Stir To U.S.-Mexico Economies

Mitt Romney told an audience at a Jerusalem fundraiser Sunday that culture alone explains the gulf between the Israeli and Palestinian economies.

On Monday, Romney denied he had singled out culture as the root cause of Palestinian economic struggles. But by Tuesday, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee had penned a National Review op-ed, again confirming that he believes cultural values -– freedom, the rule of law and a strenuous work ethic -– account for global economic disparities.

Between Romney’s explanations of his Sunday speech and critiques describing his comments as both facile and racist, another feature of Romney’s economic analysis has escaped much attention. Romney also cited differences in the U.S. and Mexican economies as proof that some cultures facilitate vibrant economies, while others impede it. The U.S.-Mexico comparison is at least as simplistic and inaccurate as Romney’s Israeli-Palestinian analysis, according to economists and political analysts.

Almost nothing about the U.S.-Mexico relationship is economically comparable to the situation between Israel and areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority, said Diana Villers Negroponte, a non-resident fellow at the Brookings institution who specializes in Central America and Mexico.

“The size and sophistication of our economies makes them quite distinctive from the Israeli-Palestinian situation," said Negroponte. "In fact, what the U.S. and Mexico have is very much a 21st Century-type of relationship.“

More than 80 percent of Mexican-made products are exported to the U.S. The North American auto industry is deeply dependent on Mexican parts manufacturers and similar ties are growing in the electronics and chemicals industries, Negroponte said.

Mexican economic progress has been constrained by the drug war and the wide, nearly monopolistic control that a small group of oligarchical businessmen and state agencies have over key industries such as energy, telecommunications and construction materials, Negroponte said.

But while the U.S. economy faltered in 2007 and then mounted a tepid recovery, Mexico has been midst of a massive transition from rural, agrarian communities into an urban society. In Mexico, the imprecise markers of middle-class status -– owning rather than renting one’s home, possessing a car, spending on entertainment -– are growing. In the U.S., more objective measures such as median income are falling.

"The Mexico that Romney seemed to describe no longer exists," Negroponte said. "It hasn't for 20 years."

The Romney campaign declined to answer specific questions about Romney’s U.S.-Mexico comparison, referring The Huffington Post to Romney's Tuesday op-ed.

Mexican trade with the U.S. supports 6 million U.S. jobs, said Kristian Ramos, policy director of the left-leaning think tank NDN's 21st Century Border Initiative.

Mexico ranks third among U.S. trading partners in terms of spending, and pumped $80 billion into Texas last year, Ramos said. Some analysts anticipate that Mexican economic growth will outpace that of the U.S. this year.

“The question I would ask Bettina Inclán is if Mitt Romney thinks there is something culturally wrong with Mexico that doesn’t allow its economy to grow,” said Ramos. Inclán is the Republican National Committee director of Hispanic outreach. She did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Romney's comments call into question two critical selling points for his campaign, said Ramos: Business acumen and character.

“These comments raise questions about how knowledgeable he really is about the trade relationship and what’s going on in Mexico,” said Ramos. “And if the issue isn’t a lack of information, if it’s not ignorance, then that raises another set of questions. Is this guy really willing to say whatever he thinks he needs to say, no matter how offensive or inaccurate, in order to get elected?"

Describing Mexico as an antiquated or inferior country may appeal to Tea Party and deeply conservative voters, Ramos said.

Daily Border Bulletin- More Than 30 Olympic Athletes Are Immigrants, Only 16% of Arrested Immigrants Are Recidivist, and more

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

More than 30 U.S. Olympic athletes are immigrants- More than 30 foreigners are on the team representing the United States at the London Olympic Games, and all are living examples of how much immigrants are contributing to their adopted country.

Only 16% of undocumented immigrants are recidivist, study says- A congressional study released Tuesday found dozens of examples of unauthorized immigrants who were released and later arrested in connection with felonies, including murder. About 16% of unauthorized immigrants arrested were rearrested within three years, according to a report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, which was based on data the Judiciary Committee had subpoenaed from the Obama administration.

NAFTA surface trade goes up in May- Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners, Canada and Mexico, was 8.3 percent higher in May than in May 2011, totaling $83.8 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Daily Border Bulletin- Conference Focuses on U.S.-Mexico trade, Gardener Creates Scholarships for Hispanic Students, and more

Daily Border Bulletin is up! Stories for today include:

Conference focus on U.S.-Mexico trade- The Border Trade Alliance is organizing a conference to discuss ideas to improve trade between the U.S. and Mexico on Thursday, August, 2nd in Mexico City.

Mexican immigrants creates scholarship fund for Hispanic students- Mexican immigrant Catalino Tapia, who owns a landscape business, created the Bay Area Gardeners Foundation, whose primary goal is to help the children of gardeners go to college.

Undocubus tours the country to call for immigration reform- The “Undocubus,” a bus with undocumented immigrants as passengers, began its cross-country tour from Phoenix, Arizona to North Carolina last Sunday July 27th and it is scheduled to arrive to the Democratic National Convention on September 3. Their goal is to share their stories and call for immigration reform.

Daily Border Bulletin- Texan Democrat Hopeful to U.S. Senate Advocates for Immigrants, Remmitances to Mexico Go Up, and more

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

Democratic hopeful to U.S. Senate advocates for immigration reform- Grady Yarbrough, one of the two Democrat candidates to the U.S. Senate in Texas has promised a path to legal status to undocumented immigrants through a new TV ad. 

Sen. McCain asked Romney to tone down anti-immigrant rhetoric- Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) placed a joint call to the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in January, urging him to tone down his anti-immigration rhetoric in order to win Hispanic votes in the 2012 November elections.

Mexican immigration to the U.S. declines but remmittances go up- A BBVA Research report highlights that Mexican immigration to the U.S. has remained unchanged since 2008. However, the economic recovery in the U.S. had a positive impact on remittances which reached its highest annual growth rate since 2007.

Daily Border Bulletin- Wisconsin Needs Immigrants, Chinese Immigrants are Second Group of Apprehensions at the Border, and more

Daily Border Bulletin is up! Stories of today are as follows:

Wisconsin needs immigrants- A consultant on workforce development in Wisconsin recommended Gov. Scott Walker to attract more immigrants to fill job openings.

 

Immigrants from China are second group of apprehensions at the U.S. borders- Immigrants from China are second to immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries among border-crossers apprehended by the Border Patrol.

Mexican call centers seeks clients in the U.S.- Atencion Telefonica is a Mexican call center that established an American company called America Contact LLC, to sell Spanish-language call center services to U.S. companies from their headquarters in San Diego, California

Daily Border Bulletin- Private Investors Needed for U.S.-Mexico Cross Border Trade, Mexican Athlete Represents the U.S.

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

Private investment can boost U.S.-Mexico trade- Bottlenecks are threatening to choke off the vitality of U.S.-Mexico trade and to solve the problem, private investment is needed, states the San Antonio Express-News editorial board.

Mexican-born athlete competes in U.S. Olympic team- Born in Mexico, Leo Manzano’s rise to two-time Olympian was as unlikely as it is inspiring, reports Latino Fox News.  The 27-year-old runner will compete as part of Team USA in the 1500 meters in London.

Center in Texas seeks to attract more Mexican entrepreneurs- The International Trade Center at the University of Texas at San Antonio organizes the conference Investing in Texas intended to help foreign entrepreneurs understand the aspects of the U.S. market in order to shape a successful business plan.

Daily Border Bulletin- U.S. and Mexico Disagree Over Barriers Along Flood Plains, Baltimore Seeks Immigrants, and more

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

U.S. and Mexico disgree over construction of border fence in Texas flood plains- Mexico said it opposes the decision of the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) that it will not object plans to build a border fence in floodplain areas in South Texas.

Mexican consulates start helping DREAM Act eligible students- The Mexican Embassy on Monday opened the doors to its 50 consular offices across the United States to undocumented immigrant youths seeking work permits and deportation relief through a new Obama administration directive. 

Baltimore seeks to attract immigrants to stop population decline- After decades of seeing the city’s population slide with every census count, Baltimore is embracing immigrants, in the hope they will encourage friends and family to join them.

Daily Border Bulletin- Advocacy Groups Challenge Arizona's SB 1070, Mexicans Return Home as Entrepreneurs, and more

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

Advocacy groups challenge SB 1070- Civil rights and immigration advocacy groups are challenging Arizona's SB 1070 as an unconstitutional law.

Mexicans return home as entrepreneurs- Mexican undocumented immigrants in the U.S. have become new entrepreneurs in Mexico using the dollars earned “on the other side” to create a middle class.

Scientific labs test produce at U.S.-Mexico border-The U.S. government is responding with a multiagency strategy for regulating and protecting the nation’s food supply at Otay Mesa Port of Entry, one of the busiest commercial ports along the U.S.-Mexico border.

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