Fixing Our Broken Immigration System

Your Daily Border Bulletin is up! Stories of the day are as follows:

Tougher penalties would slow down the illicit gun trade to Mexico Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan and Congressman Adam Schiff of California cited statistics to instate firmer penalties against illegal gun traffickers and straw buyers at a forum hosted by NDN and the New Policy Institute, which got lots of national press atention.

Texas Senator supports local-federal partnerships to improve border crossings U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas announced he would introduce legislation to allow local governments to pay for infrastructure and staffing at border crossings when the federal government doesn’t have or can’t accept funding.

Michigan governor launches initiative to attract immigrants Governor Rick Snyder launched the Global Michigan Initiative to attract entrepreneurs and foreign talent to live, work, and invest in Michigan.

Your Daily Border Bulletin is up! Stories from your Border Bulletin are as follow:

Arizona Governor loses request to dismiss legal challenge to SB 1070 U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton rejected a request by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to partially dismiss one of three remaining legal challenges to the state’s 2010 immigration law.

Immigration law profesors send letter to President Obama A letter presented to White House officials was signed by more than 90 immigration law professors who argue that President Obama has “clear executive authority” to halt deportations of young undocumented immigrants.

Mexico’s economy secretary calls for regional thinking In an interview with The Chicago Tribune, Mexico’s economy secretary Bruno Ferrari highlighted his country as a place to do business.

Your Daily Border Bulletin is up! Stories from your Border Bulletin are as follow:

New report compares American immigration policies with other countries “Not Coming to America: Why the US is Falling Behind in the Global Race for Talent” is a first-ever comparative study of the immigration reforms other countries employ to boost their economies.

Border Patrol agents might change job description in El Paso Border Patrol agents might start helping to ease traffic across international bridges in the Texas border city of El Paso.

New revision of Albama’s anti-immigrant law gets tougher  Alabama’s HB 658 includes includes harsher provisions against undocumented immigrants.

Guns smuggled from the United States into Mexico are contributing to the rise in drug cartel violence in our southern neighbor.

Please join us on May 31st, NDN/NPI's "21st Century Border Initiative," will convene a forum in the US Capitol looking at whether there is more we can do in the US to stop this illegal southbound flow of guns into Mexico, a country where owning a gun of any kind is illegal. Below are three facts about gun smuggling into Mexico to help you understand the dynamics of this debate:

• The U.S. and Mexican governments share information to identify the source of firearms. Mexico has provided the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) information on 99,691 guns. This agency determined that 68 percent of those weapons came from the U.S. 

• Trade of American firearms to Mexico continues to grow. The number of all types of ATF-traced firearms manufactured in the U.S. or imported into the U.S. and later recovered in Mexico rose from 11,842 in 2007 to 14,504 in 2011.

• The Straw Purchaser Penalty Enhancement Act proposed by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Ca.) imposes tough new penalties on people who buy guns in order to sell them to third unauthorized purchasers and it would give federal agents new tools to crack down on the flow of weapons across the Southwest border into Mexico.

Joining us will be Congressman Adam Schiff of California and the Mexican Ambassador to the United States, Arturo Sarukhan.  The forum will take place at 2456 Rayburn House Office Building, and run from 12:15pm to 1:30pm.  You can RSVP here.

Your Daily Border Bulletin is up! Stories from your Border Bulletin are as follows:

Why California’s Bid to Legalize Undocumented Immigrants Works‎ A new California law, AB 1544, sets up a state work permit (subject to federal approval) to legalize many unauthorized immigrants in California.

Arizona Militias Gain Momentum After Citizen Border Group Bill is Defeated Volunteer patrols are determined to take on their own hands the security along  the Arizona’s border with Mexico after plans for a state-sanctioned citizens border organization were struck down in the State Legislature.

U.S., Mexico in talks to deport criminal immigrants deep into Mexico to cut down on repeat crossings The United States and Mexico are negotiating  deportation plans of criminal undocumented immigrants deep into Mexico rather than releasing them at Mexican border cities, hoping to stop adding to the criminal chaos south of the border.

This week the White House unveiled their National Travel & Tourism Strategy from the Task Force on Travel & Competitiveness.

NPI is  proud of the work we did to elevate the importance of the southwest border region and in particular  Mexico to enhancing tourism and travel into the United States. The core of our argument made it  high up in the report.

“Our neighbors, Canada and Mexico, currently are the top two markets for international travelers to the United States. In 2011, 21 million Canadian nationals visited the United States, followed by Mexico with 13 million visitors, accounting for exports of $24 billion and $9 billion, respectively.22 Mexico represents a near-term opportunity for increasing travel to the United States because of its growing middle class and strong cultural ties.”

NDN/NPI also advocated that the report highlight the importance of enhancing our border infrastructure as a means of increasing tourism and transportation. This also made it into the report:

Strategy 5: Maintain and Improve Transportation Infrastructure

• Invest in infrastructure. Continue efforts to improve transportation and Land Port of Entry infrastructure related to U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico border crossings. Implement on-going and new, as budget allows, U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico border crossing infrastructure projects, including projects to improve inspection plazas, roads, bridges, tunnels, and ferries. 

For more from our report Realizing the Full Value of Tourism from Mexico to the United States and the 21st Century Border Initiative program please go to 21border.com.

Your Daily Border Bulletin is up! Stories from your Border Bulletin are as follows:

States Introduce Fewer Immigration Bills The number of immigration bills and resolutions appearing in state legislatures across the country declined steeply in the first quarter of this year, according to a report by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Ciudad Juarez Back on Border Region Tourist Maps Ciudad Juarez is returning to maps featuring attractions for visitors to the U.S.-Mexico border region around El Paso after two years of being excluded due to a wave of drug-related violence.

Republicans’ Hispanic problem — in 2 Charts New data from an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll that show President Obama leading former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney by 34 points among Hispanics set off a new round of speculation about whether Republicans can win in November if they can’t narrow that margin.

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

Our non-existent immigration problem Tim Noah of The New Republic provides analysis on our non-existent national immigration problem.

The Arizona Immigration Law is Beside the Point An editorial notes that despite the fact that the Supreme Court is likely to uphold the most pernicious sections of SB1070, the real fight is just beginning.

How the Taco Gained in Translation Mexican American fast food expert gives a history lesson on how food from Mexico immigrated to the U.S. mainstream. 

With the Supreme Court likely to uphold portions of Arizona's infamous immigration law, the state will remain front and center in national headlines up until this year’s general election. While Hispanic voters in the state have no control over the Supreme Court’s decision, they will be able to have their voices heard at the Arizona ballot box in November.

The Obama campaign certainly believes that the agitation of Hispanic and independent voters in Arizona puts the state in play for the general election.  Historical evidence and recent polling indicate that the states may well be up for grabs this year. Putting Arizona's 11 electoral votes in play would not only shake up the electoral map but also send a clear message that extremist immigration laws are political poison.

In 2008 – with minimal investment from the Obama Campaign – the President commanded a large share of the Hispanic vote in Arizona, besting hometown Senator John McCain 56% to 41%. If the President can boost Hispanic turnout, the statewide electorate could become much more Democratic. With recent polling showing Arizona as a toss-up, a solid investment in Hispanic mobilization could make the state very competitive.

A recent NBC News/Marist Poll reveals that President Obama is only trailing in Arizona by 5 points. The real eye-popping numbers for the President, however, are the preferences of independent voters. Among independents in Arizona, the President outperforms Romney 45 percent to 36 percent, with 19 percent undecided. Another poll by the Merrill/Morrison Institute puts the race within the margin of error. 42 percent of Arizona registered voters preferred Mitt Romney, while 40 percent supported the President. With a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent, so if the election were held today the contest for Arizona’s 11 electoral votes would be a toss-up.

The real question on everyone's mind is; can an investment in maximizing the Hispanic vote in Arizona generate enough support to push Obama and down ticket Democrats over the top? Trends in Hispanic turnout from neighboring states with similar demographics suggest that these investments could pay off. Significant efforts to boost turnout in 2008 resulted in substantial increases in Hispanic voter participation.  Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada saw Hispanic voter participation increase by 33 percent, 62 percent and 32 percent respectively from 2004 to 2008. The overwhelming majority of that increased Hispanic vote went to Obama. The growing voter turnout from Hispanics helped the President carry all three of those states on his way to the White House, and this same dynamic could bring Arizona into the fold later this year.

Hispanics nationally are breaking nearly three to one for the President, if this holds true in Arizona increasing the vote of this population could swing the general election vote for more moderate voices in Arizona as well.  For the first time ever there is viable Hispanic Senatorial candidate in former Surgeon General Richard Carmona.

Carmona, a military veteran, has a huge lead with Hispanic voters. Politico notes that Hispanic voters favor him 61% – 25% percent statewide. Hispanic women are even more supportive, giving him a 70% – 14% advantage over Flake. At this point in the race he is an unknown quantity. Just 22 percent of voters can identify Richard Carmona, including just 19 percent of white voters, giving him room to expand support. The reality is the more Carmona is able to galvanize Hispanic support in Arizona the better off the Obama campaign will do in the state.

If any segment of the Arizona population should want to change the dynamic of the state’s political apparatus it would be Hispanics. The current political environment in Arizona is toxic for Hispanics, and has been hijacked by political extremists. For those in the state vested in sending a strong message to the country that Arizona is turning a corner on this brand of governance, voting against the likes of Jan Brewer, Joe Arpaio, and Russell Pearce would speak loud and clear. With the Supreme Court likely to uphold parts of SB1070, November will be the earliest that Arizona voters can let the country know where they truly stand on this law.

This is cross posted at Fox News Latino

Your Daily Border Bulletin is up! Stories Featured in your Border Bulletin are as follows:

High court hears Arizona immigration dispute This week the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments over Arizona's controversial immigration law SB1070, the outcome of this case will have significant ramifications for the country.

Supreme Court will hear 2 strikingly different views ​The Supreme Court case will touch upon whether or not states have the right to enforce their own immigration laws.

More Mexicans returning home, fewer coming to U.S. ​Finally stepped up immigration enforcement and a deep recession has resulted in the lowest undocumented immigration statistics in ages.