Daily Border Bulletin is up! Today's stories include, please click here for the full stories:
USA Today – Rep. Gowdy selected to head key immigration committee - House leaders chose a vocal opponent of illegal immigration to head up the chamber’s immigration subcommittee, which will play an integral role in the upcoming debates on how to reform the nation’s immigration laws.
BBC – Mexico to create new police force in drugs policy shift - Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, has announced the creation of a new national police force as part of efforts to tackle crime and violence.
National Journal – Opinion: New Year’s Resolution for Congress Should Be Passing Immigration Reform - Amid all the talk of the fiscal cliff and debt ceiling, White House and congressional staffers are working behind the scenes on negotiating some consensus on another major issue: immigration reform. If they can deliver a Christmas present in the form of avoiding the fiscal cliff, then passing immigration reform should be their New Year’s resolution.
Last night’s debate presented Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney with yet another opportunity to turn his back on the "attrition through enforcement" model of Self Deportation, best embodied by Arizona’s anti-immigrant legislation SB 1070. Once again, Romney did not in any way distance himself from his long-held immigration plan, the objective of which would be to make life so miserable for undocumented immigrants that they would simply leave the country. But don’t take my word for it—below are Romney’s own words on the subject.
"Now, let me mention one other thing, and that is self-deportation says let people make their own choice. What I was saying is, we're not going to round up 12 million people, undocumented illegals, and take them out of the nation. Instead let people make their own choice. And if they -- if they find that -- that they can't get the benefits here that they want and they can't -- and they can't find the job they want, then they'll make a decision to go a place where -- where they have better opportunities. But I'm not in favor of rounding up people and -- and -- and taking them out of this country."
While it may be true that Romney says (he has a habit of changing his mind) that he is not for rounding up undocumented immigrants and removing them from the country, according to the Immigration Policy Center what he is proposing in "self deportation may actually be worse:
"Mr. Romney explains how he thinks "self-deportation" would work by saying “if people don’t get work here, they’re going to self-deport to a place they can get work.” "Self-deportation" - or, more accurately, "attrition through enforcement" - goes far beyond denying unauthorized immigrants work. The strategy is currently embodied in state laws that include provisions denying education, transportation, and even basic services like water and housing to anyone who cannot prove legal immigration status. So far, the states that have attempted to roll out this plan have done little more than undermine basic human rights, devastate local economies, and place unnecessary burdens on U.S. citizens and lawful immigrants. "
Romney also went on at great length to distance himself from the idea that he believes that Arizona's self deportation law SB 1070 is a model for the country. Does this mean that he does not support an Arizona-style law for the country as a whole?
Absolutely not. The President rightly pointed out that Romney’s head immigration campaign advisor, Kris Kobach, actually wrote SB 1070, demonstrating the ridiculous nature of Romney’s denial.
"I do want to make sure that -- I do want to make sure that we just understand something. Governor Romney says he wasn't referring to Arizona as a model for the nation. His top adviser on immigration is the guy who designed the Arizona law, the entirety of it; not E-Verify, the whole thing. That's his policy. And it's a bad policy. And it won't help us grow."
That last point in the President’s statement is important, and illustrates that at the end of the day these two candidates could not differ more on the issue of immigration. The President believes that immigrants will help our country grow, as evidenced by his landmark Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. This smart and fair move to grant targeted temporary reprieve for young undocumented immigrants is exactly the type of leadership that is missing from the Republican Party on this issue.
Last night that could not have been more clear. Video of the Immigration Exchange is below:
For background information on NDN's work in this space please make sure to check out NPI Fellow Rob Shapiro's outstanding report,"The Impact of Immigration and Immigration Reform on the Wages of American Workers."
Also be sure to read the following reports by NDN/NPI’s 21st Century Border Initiative: Realizing the Value of Crossborder Trade with Mexico,examines the rising importance of the export sector and how to strengthen our relationship with Mexico, our nation’s number two export market and Realizing the Full Value of Tourism from Mexico to the United States, a tourism report that outlines five steps to help unlock the tremendous economic value of Mexican tourism into the United States.
Check back daily for the latest news and reports in the 21st Century Border Initiative’s Daily Border Bulletin, and follow us on Twitter, @21border.
Tomorrow, Kristian Ramos, the Director of the 21st Century Border Initiative, will be speaking at the National LULAC Immigration Summit in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Room 106 at 11:00 a.m.
The LULAC Immigration Summit will offer insight into the Administration’s advancements in immigration reform and engage in dialogue with other immigration advocates, policy makers, community activists, and LULAC members.
The summit aspires to develop an action plan for comprehensive immigration reform by fostering progressive dialogues among policy makers, community leaders, immigration advocates, LULAC members, and legal minds alike. Moderator: Elmy Bermejo, Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs
Making the Economic Case Dirksen Senate Office Building in Room 106 at 11:00 a.m.
• Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance (MFHA) (tentative) • Jeremy Robbins, Partnership for a New American Economy • Kristian Ramos, NDN & New Policy Institute
This report presents an accurate portrait of our immigrant population, dispels misconceptions about undocumented immigrants, and reviews the evidence and analysis regarding the wage and other economic effects of both immigration and reforms to provide undocumented immigrants a path to legal status.
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 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.
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 Centerat 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 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.
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 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.
Daily Border Bulletin is up! Stories of today include:
Immigration bill includes Department of Labor's oversight- An immigration bill that proposes to end the national origin cap for the employment-based green cards got new amendments to get stricter oversight from the Department of Labor
Mexican boy with massive receives treatment in the U.S.- A 9-year-old boy with a massive tumor was whisked from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico in an armored vehicle by U.S. federal agents and taken across the border for treatment in New Mexico.
President Calderon urges the U.S. to review gun laws- Mexican President Felipe Calderon condemned U.S. gun laws as “mistaken” and urged Washington to review them after a shooter killed 12 people and injured more than 50 others at a U.S. movie theater on Friday.
Daily Border Bulletin is up! Today's stories include:
California Attorney General supports undocumented immigrant who wants to practice law- California Supreme Court will decide if an undocumented immigrant should be allowed to practice law even though his immigration status makes employing him illegal. That is the case of Sergio Garcia, an undocumented immigrant who passed California’s law exam but was denied admission to the state bar.
GM to invest $420 million in Mexico- U.S. carmaker General Motors Co. announced investment of $420 million in Mexico that would create 1,000 new jobs at current plants.
Texas requests access to immigration database for election purposes- Texas elections officials have joined a growing number of states seeking access to a massive immigration database to check voter rolls for possible noncitizens.
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