Fixing Our Broken Immigration System

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Federal initiative aimed to increase loans in border communities-  The U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), of Agriculture, and of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) announced a joint “Border Community Capital Initiative” (Border Initiative), designed to increase access to capital in the U.S./Mexico border region which includes some of the poorest communities in the country. The announcement is part of a series of initiatives delivered through the White House Rural Council to help create jobs and expand opportunities in rural communities.

Business leaders demand an immigration reform-  Nearly 200 business owners from Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia, ended up on Tuesday, June 12, urging Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration reform during the  summit “Forging a New Consensus on Immigrants and America.”

Chicago suburb rejects a detention center- Village leaders unanimously rejected plans for a proposed immigrant detention center in Crete, outside of Chicago.

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Report highlights illicit money flows from Mexico to the U.S.- A report by Global Financial Integrity found that deposit data from the Bank of International Settlements show that the United States is the top destination for Mexican funds.

Foreign homeownership is up in  the U.S.- A survey released Monday by the National Association of Realtors   found that international buyers accounted for 8.9 percent of the dollars spent on residential real estate in the U.S. in the 12-month period that ended in March, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Violence in Juárez decreases- The month of May had the lowest number of slayings in Juárez in more than three years, reports El Paso Times.

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Republicans in Texas take new position on immigration- The Texas Republican Convention approved a party platform on immigration conceding that mass deportation of illegal immigrants isn’t practical and calling for “common ground” to develop more-realistic strategies.

Arizona’s SB 1070 awaits decision in the Supreme Court- The country’s judicial authority has three last weeks to release a decision, generally on Mondays, on the legal challenges against Arizona’s anti-immigrant law.

More Americans travel to Mexico- The Mexican Ministry of Tourism says more than 2 million U.S. tourists flew to Mexico between January and April of this year, up 11% from the same period in 2011.

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How to make U.S. agriculture stronger?- Opening pathways for temporary seasonal workers and fixing the immigration system are the answer to drive agriculture in the U.S.

House bans abortions for undocumented immigrants- The GOP-led House approved a Homeland Security spending bill that includes a provision barring Immigration and Customs Enforcement from providing abortions for undocumented immigrant detainees, a measure that has little chance of surviving in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

The U.S. no longer is a role model on immigration policies- The U.S. immigration policies do not attract more talented people than other countries, but still immigrants to this country have better assimilation than anywhere else.

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American expats move to Tijuana- More expatriates are leaving the US and calling Tijuana home. Younger, hipper and speak Spanish, they are attracted by  the Mexican city’s culture and affordable housing since homicide rates in Tijuana have dropped 40 percent.

Border Patrol lauches TV campaign in Mexico to prevent immigrants’ deaths- The U.S. Border Patrol, in coordination with the Mexican government, launched the “Border Safety Initiative”,  a campaign that includes TV and radio ads as well as a norteño song  to prevent the deaths of immigrants along the Southwest border.

Arizona sheriff stops special immigration patrols- Joe Arapaio, the Arizona sheriff known for his hardline stance on illegal immigration has gone months without using his most controversial law enforcement tactic.

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Mexican crew fights wildfires in Texas- A 32-person crew from Mexico, known down as “Los Diablos,” arrived at Guadalupe Mountains National Park in western Texas to fight the wildfire that started on May 26 and burned 171 acres before it was contained with the help of the Mexican crew.

Cross-border trucking program should continue- An op-ed in the San Antonio Express-News criticizes comments made by official from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration who said that the cross-border trucking program that started last fall might not continue because of low participation by Mexican carriers.

Dallas attracts $119 millions from foreign investors- A federal program that grants permanent residency to foreign citizens who invest more than half a million dollars and create more than 10 jobs, has proven successful in Dallas where 2,380 jobs were created in exchange of 238 HB-5 visas in the last 30 months. On the national level, 2,101 green cards have been granted so far in 2012.

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

Mexican crew fights wildfires in Texas- A 32-person crew from Mexico, known down as “Los Diablos,” arrived at Guadalupe Mountains National Park in western Texas to fight the wildfire that started on May 26 and burned 171 acres before it was contained with the help of the Mexican crew.

Cross-border trucking program should continue- An op-ed in the San Antonio Express-News criticizes comments made by official from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration who said that the cross-border trucking program that started last fall might not continue because of low participation by Mexican carriers.

Dallas attracts $119 millions from foreign investors- A federal program that grants permanent residency to foreign citizens who invest more than half a million dollars and create more than 10 jobs, has proven successful in Dallas where 2,380 jobs were created in exchange of 238 HB-5 visas in the last 30 months. On the national level, 2,101 green cards have been granted so far in 2012.

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Border Tour Promotes Trade Between the U.S. and Mexico - A U.S. trade delegation on Monday launched a five-day Mexican border tour by visiting city officials,maquiladoras, and learning about the planned cross-border ports of entry. The group includes members of the private and public sectors. It is led by assistant U.S. Commerce Secretary Michael C. Camuñez and members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as well as the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Anthony Wayne.

Federal Program Recruits Mexican Entrepreneurs to Invest in the U.S. - Select USA, a federal program to attract foreign investment, teaches Mexican businesspeople about immigration visas, legal and fiscal systems in the U.S. and business opportunities to expand their companies to the U.S. market.

D.C. Police Might Ignore Secure Communities- Council members of the District of Columbia say they would oppose the federal program Secure Communities by passing a law instructing loal police to ignore requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold people arrested for low-level crimes.

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Legal Mexican Travel North Rose As Illegal immigration Went Down- Mexican immigrants made common-sense decisions that have created a ‘healthy circular pattern’ of migration.

Startup Firms Complain About Visa Processing- Tech companies claim unfair treatment on visa applications on behalf of their foreign hiring prospects.

President Obama Is An Overachiever On Immigration Enforcement- It is time to move to the next step: to get undocumented immigrants right with the law.

A proposed legislation in the U.S. Congress would raise penalties for straw purchasers who acquire assault weapons under false pretenses to resell them to Mexican criminal organizations. Congressman Adam Schiff of California and Mexico’s Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan talked on Thursday, May 31^st at the US Capitol about the relevance of this legislation to slow the illegal  flow of guns into Mexico. The forum was  convened by NDN’s 21st Century Border Initiative.

Rep. Schiff , who sponsors the Straw Purchaser Penalty Enhancement Act, said that the United States has a responsibility to decrease violence levels in Mexico since this country is the third largest trade partner and second export market of the United States. “Our prosperity is tied with Mexico”, Rep. Schiff said.

Schiff emphasized that the bill would give two-year sentences to straw purchasers and because of that, it would create incentives for suspects to cooperate with law enforcement officials to fight criminal organizations. He said that currently there is no prohibition to resell arms to individuals unauthorized to own guns in the U.S., including people with criminal backgrounds or foreign nationals.

“Straw purchasers use loopholes in the regulation of arm sales and they face low penalties”, said Mexico’s Ambassador to the United States, Arturo Sarukhán.

Sarukhán said that this bill would help Mexican law-enforcement agencies to use their manpower and resources in a more strategic way to fight criminal organizations. He also mentioned the impact that the expiration of a ban to sell assault weapons in the U.S. has had in Mexico. Since then, the number of assault weapons seized by Mexican authorities more than doubled from 2007 to 2011. “Before then, the highest number of seized weapons were handguns”, said Sarukhán.

Rep. Schiff also noted that the drug war violence not only takes lives of alleged criminals but also members of the press and law enforcement officials in the Mexican side. “Mexico has lost more citizens than the ones we lost in the Vietnam War”, he said.

The Mexican Ambassador also explained that his government does not want to destroy the Second Amendment, which grants Americans the right to own weapons. However, American founding fathers did not contemplate under this constitutional right the international trade of firearms or any illicit cross-border trade, he said.

Sarukhán praised efforts from the Obama administration to require sellers in Southwest border States to report multiple sales of semiautomatic rifles which have led to several investigations of gun smuggling operations. In his opinion, there are misconceptions in both countries on how policies create a negative impact in the other side of the border.

At the conference, Sarukhán said that Operation Fast and Furious, in which the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firarms let walk guns into Mexico.  “poisoned public opinion in Mexico” about the U.S. fostering violence south of the border. However, legislation like the one proposed by Rep. Schiff strengthens law enforcement cooperation between both neighbor countries and would have a profound impact in the fight against organized crime in Mexico. “Both countries understand that they need to work together to fight this issue”, he said.