JunRN
06-05 02:03 AM
http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/AC21_30May08.pdf
I think USCIS now requires an APPROVED I-140 before allowing AC21 portability for I-485 applicants.
I think USCIS now requires an APPROVED I-140 before allowing AC21 portability for I-485 applicants.
wallpaper Flower tattoo Designs
billu
08-24 10:28 PM
While it is true that EB 3 india will take "forever" for those with priority date after 2005, USCIS has been coming down heavily on recent spate of EB3 to EB2 filings. One thing to ask an employer who claims to file EB2 on your behalf is whether they have applied similar EB2s successfully for candidates at similar position that they are offering you. If they fail to provide a satisfactory answer, they are more than likely luring you with a false promise.
hopefulgc
05-18 03:41 PM
1) I totally support this idea
2) my crystal ball tells me that there are gonna be people here who will post discouraging comments against this idea like they do to every other idea worth considering. These days they use the "these ideas divide the community" routine to kill initiatives like this.
3) quota exculsion and segregation would be awesome and very well deserved
In the same lines as H1B, could we look into if its possible to add a quota for US Masters degree holders irrespective of country of birth for green Card also. This would be in addition to the existing Employment based quotas.
Does anyone know how they added 20k H1B quota for Masters degree holders? Who sponsored that bill? May be we should talk to the same people.
I would think there would be a little less resistance for this? This would ease the pressure on both EB2 and EB3.
I dont know if this has been previously looked at. I know there were talks of excluding these people from quota all together.
2) my crystal ball tells me that there are gonna be people here who will post discouraging comments against this idea like they do to every other idea worth considering. These days they use the "these ideas divide the community" routine to kill initiatives like this.
3) quota exculsion and segregation would be awesome and very well deserved
In the same lines as H1B, could we look into if its possible to add a quota for US Masters degree holders irrespective of country of birth for green Card also. This would be in addition to the existing Employment based quotas.
Does anyone know how they added 20k H1B quota for Masters degree holders? Who sponsored that bill? May be we should talk to the same people.
I would think there would be a little less resistance for this? This would ease the pressure on both EB2 and EB3.
I dont know if this has been previously looked at. I know there were talks of excluding these people from quota all together.
2011 Tattoos Flowers Beauty and Art
dionysus
08-20 07:17 PM
You must name him. God forbid if it is my own employer, and he has done the same backstabbing to me too. Please let me know the name of this bastard, atleast in a private message so that I can sleep better tonight.
more...
help_please
07-13 10:06 PM
http://thomas.loc.gov/
Please visit this site and search for bill # s. 774. This bill does not specify that you must be illegal to qualify.
Please visit this site and search for bill # s. 774. This bill does not specify that you must be illegal to qualify.
jonty_11
08-22 02:17 PM
Based on the discussion with Charlie Oppenheim, Chief of Immigrant Visa Control and Reporting, DOS, the AILA has just released the following predictions:
EB-1 (All Countries): Closely match to September 2007 VB
EB-2 (All Countries): Closely match to September 2007 VB
EB-3 (All Countries): Similar to January 2007 VB
EB-3EW (All Countries): 10/01/2001
EB-4: N/A
EB-5: C
Please stay tuned.
check b4 u post man....this thing has been cut and paste a billion times...
Concentrate on the DC Rally instead plz
EB-1 (All Countries): Closely match to September 2007 VB
EB-2 (All Countries): Closely match to September 2007 VB
EB-3 (All Countries): Similar to January 2007 VB
EB-3EW (All Countries): 10/01/2001
EB-4: N/A
EB-5: C
Please stay tuned.
check b4 u post man....this thing has been cut and paste a billion times...
Concentrate on the DC Rally instead plz
more...
skp71
12-12 09:49 PM
What's going on with EB3 ROW? No movement at all!! What's goin to happen in coming months???
2010 Lotus Flower Tattoo
whiteStallion
05-19 01:54 PM
Voted !
Please submit ur answer at this thread.
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?p=342110#post342110
Please submit ur answer at this thread.
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?p=342110#post342110
more...
raydhan
04-01 04:31 PM
Sent Fax# 10
hair Tattoos Traditional Japanese
se_vnt3
02-27 03:55 PM
My husband and son are being discriminated against for having an Alien wife and mother.
If an Alien deported with drug-related offences of more than 30 grams of Marijuana, like me, solicits a Non-Immigrant Visa to visit in the U.S. at the same time my husband or son solicit an Immigrant Visa for me to remain in the U.S. with them, the Alien will be granted her Non-Immigrant Visa and my husband�s or my son�s request will never be acknowledged.
This is our story: Everything we ever learned from the U.S. about truth and justice is suddenly being deprived of any meaning by the U.S. itself. The hardest part for us is believing that everything we�ve based our lives on � the American way, has no merit.
I was deported from the United States of America on February 18, 2005. I lived there nearly 30 years since I was 20 months old, when my mother crossed the Rio Grande into the country with me illegally. I was given an opportunity to become legal under the NACARA law but was to afraid of being deported like Maricela Soza was under the same law and didn�t go through with the entire process. I have both a husband and a son who are U.S. citizens but I am permanently prohibited by Immigration law from immigrating to the United States, while at the same time I am allowed to visit. Due to my drug-related offence of more than 30 grams of Marijuana. It�s Immigration law�s contradicting policies which I find disturbing.
U.S. Immigration is concerned with their citizens� welfare but it is denying my husband�s and my son�s requests to have me back by their side for good. Although Immigration law will value my wish to receive admission into the United States. Needless to say I prefer returning, immigrating and remaining in the country by my family�s side. That�s not taking into account the fact that I am still homesick and continue experiencing culture shock in Nicaragua. What the Department of Homeland Security is doing to my family and I is cruel, inhumane and unpatriotic. No free country�s government has any business deciding how families should be formed or whose personal choice is agreeable or not. Like that of my son�s and husband�s choice to overlook my shortcomings and begin our lives over together again.
The 212(d)(3) Waiver allows a visitor�s visa into the U.S. to be issued to an Alien like me if I show evidence of rehabilitation such as becoming a practicing professional with a U.S. job offer. Sometimes with lone proof of a bank savings account, school registration and satisfactory travel record. On the other hand there isn�t one waiver available for United States Citizens who wish to rebuild their lives with an Alien deported for any drug-related offence of more than 30 grams of Marijuana. Not only are my son�s and my husband�s needs being ignored but my needs are being placed before their own. An act I dare name TREASON.
How much more is the United States citizens� welfare secured if an Alien with an undesirable drug history enters the United States merely to visit and not to immigrate? Shouldn�t all United States citizens� needs and rights within and from their country � such as my husband�s and my son�s, come before any Alien�s need or right to receive admission into the U.S., including my own? Also, shouldn�t Family-Based Immigration take first place over �Alien travel� for any reason?
I regret to say it�s these types of injustices with devastating consequences to the recipient�s and his/her immediate relatives� personal lives remaining raveled, much more unacknowledged that play a large role in the cause for conflict concerning disloyalty toward the U.S. and unpopularity of the U.S. among U.S. citizens and foreign nationals inside and outside of the United States. I trust that once this oversight is brought to DHS�s attention they will not knowingly continue punishing my husband and my son for loving me, an Alien who once stumbled while attempting to survive in the U.S..
I�m afraid to imagine how many individuals involved in cases like my family�s and mine go on thinking that the U.S. is a bad country for having the audacity to pass judgment on them. I�ve had to believe there�s a glitch somewhere in immigration law caused by simple human error. I can�t accept that the U.S. I grew to know as a loving, Christian country with caring values is intentionally causing my loved ones and I grief. It goes without saying that as much as the United States has a duty to protect its citizens it also has a duty to be equally diplomatic toward foreigners and not continue persecuting the one or the other long after any condemning sentence has been exacted and executed. I know the United States of America will do right by my son, my husband, me, and the rest of its citizens and foreign nationals in our predicament.
We want the 212(d)(3) Non-Immigrant Visas Waiver made into an Immigrant Visas Waiver for Immediate Relatives of U.S. Citizens to make sure United States citizens receive competent protection from the Department of Homeland Security and adequate protection from the United States of America.
My husband and son believe a Waiver should be available to me and I believe their Freedom Of Belief civil liberty is being violated because their belief is being discriminated against. My needs are being placed before their own. I am not able to immigrate to the U.S. because immigration law doesn�t allow me a Waiver enabling my husband or son to claim me successfully. If I had a Waiver available to me they wouldn�t have to be at this crossroads making their case public in the courts, therefore their Right To Privacy is also being violated as a result of their belief being discriminated against. I couldn�t live with myself if I don�t speak out, they�re attempting to do the same for me. We don�t want to cause any problems, we just want to move on with our lives.
If an Alien deported with drug-related offences of more than 30 grams of Marijuana, like me, solicits a Non-Immigrant Visa to visit in the U.S. at the same time my husband or son solicit an Immigrant Visa for me to remain in the U.S. with them, the Alien will be granted her Non-Immigrant Visa and my husband�s or my son�s request will never be acknowledged.
This is our story: Everything we ever learned from the U.S. about truth and justice is suddenly being deprived of any meaning by the U.S. itself. The hardest part for us is believing that everything we�ve based our lives on � the American way, has no merit.
I was deported from the United States of America on February 18, 2005. I lived there nearly 30 years since I was 20 months old, when my mother crossed the Rio Grande into the country with me illegally. I was given an opportunity to become legal under the NACARA law but was to afraid of being deported like Maricela Soza was under the same law and didn�t go through with the entire process. I have both a husband and a son who are U.S. citizens but I am permanently prohibited by Immigration law from immigrating to the United States, while at the same time I am allowed to visit. Due to my drug-related offence of more than 30 grams of Marijuana. It�s Immigration law�s contradicting policies which I find disturbing.
U.S. Immigration is concerned with their citizens� welfare but it is denying my husband�s and my son�s requests to have me back by their side for good. Although Immigration law will value my wish to receive admission into the United States. Needless to say I prefer returning, immigrating and remaining in the country by my family�s side. That�s not taking into account the fact that I am still homesick and continue experiencing culture shock in Nicaragua. What the Department of Homeland Security is doing to my family and I is cruel, inhumane and unpatriotic. No free country�s government has any business deciding how families should be formed or whose personal choice is agreeable or not. Like that of my son�s and husband�s choice to overlook my shortcomings and begin our lives over together again.
The 212(d)(3) Waiver allows a visitor�s visa into the U.S. to be issued to an Alien like me if I show evidence of rehabilitation such as becoming a practicing professional with a U.S. job offer. Sometimes with lone proof of a bank savings account, school registration and satisfactory travel record. On the other hand there isn�t one waiver available for United States Citizens who wish to rebuild their lives with an Alien deported for any drug-related offence of more than 30 grams of Marijuana. Not only are my son�s and my husband�s needs being ignored but my needs are being placed before their own. An act I dare name TREASON.
How much more is the United States citizens� welfare secured if an Alien with an undesirable drug history enters the United States merely to visit and not to immigrate? Shouldn�t all United States citizens� needs and rights within and from their country � such as my husband�s and my son�s, come before any Alien�s need or right to receive admission into the U.S., including my own? Also, shouldn�t Family-Based Immigration take first place over �Alien travel� for any reason?
I regret to say it�s these types of injustices with devastating consequences to the recipient�s and his/her immediate relatives� personal lives remaining raveled, much more unacknowledged that play a large role in the cause for conflict concerning disloyalty toward the U.S. and unpopularity of the U.S. among U.S. citizens and foreign nationals inside and outside of the United States. I trust that once this oversight is brought to DHS�s attention they will not knowingly continue punishing my husband and my son for loving me, an Alien who once stumbled while attempting to survive in the U.S..
I�m afraid to imagine how many individuals involved in cases like my family�s and mine go on thinking that the U.S. is a bad country for having the audacity to pass judgment on them. I�ve had to believe there�s a glitch somewhere in immigration law caused by simple human error. I can�t accept that the U.S. I grew to know as a loving, Christian country with caring values is intentionally causing my loved ones and I grief. It goes without saying that as much as the United States has a duty to protect its citizens it also has a duty to be equally diplomatic toward foreigners and not continue persecuting the one or the other long after any condemning sentence has been exacted and executed. I know the United States of America will do right by my son, my husband, me, and the rest of its citizens and foreign nationals in our predicament.
We want the 212(d)(3) Non-Immigrant Visas Waiver made into an Immigrant Visas Waiver for Immediate Relatives of U.S. Citizens to make sure United States citizens receive competent protection from the Department of Homeland Security and adequate protection from the United States of America.
My husband and son believe a Waiver should be available to me and I believe their Freedom Of Belief civil liberty is being violated because their belief is being discriminated against. My needs are being placed before their own. I am not able to immigrate to the U.S. because immigration law doesn�t allow me a Waiver enabling my husband or son to claim me successfully. If I had a Waiver available to me they wouldn�t have to be at this crossroads making their case public in the courts, therefore their Right To Privacy is also being violated as a result of their belief being discriminated against. I couldn�t live with myself if I don�t speak out, they�re attempting to do the same for me. We don�t want to cause any problems, we just want to move on with our lives.
more...
veeyes2009
02-14 10:25 AM
After reading your posts i checked my cases online and LUD changed on 02/10 (Mine) & 02/13 (my wife) too for the first time since they are filed .... Both cases start with LIN xxxxxxxx & both are at NSC, EB3-I, PD March 2005. We have given FP twice so far once after filing the cases and other when we applied for EAD/AP extensions.
No emails though .... Not sure what they are checking or updating ...
Hoping for the best like you all ... good luck. Please share if you have any updates
No emails though .... Not sure what they are checking or updating ...
Hoping for the best like you all ... good luck. Please share if you have any updates
hot The Japanese Koi fish is one
raysaikat
07-19 10:20 PM
B1 visa of course. :-) . Hey, as I said, I did not think about intent issues at that time. Hindsight is always 20-20. But the deed is done. I never look back. In my dictionary, there is no such word as "should have". I either do something or don't do something. Only losers think they "should have" done something.
There is an obvious difference between "fretting over" and "reflecting". You seem not to understand the difference (reminds me of George W. Bush on Iraq war).
There is an obvious difference between "fretting over" and "reflecting". You seem not to understand the difference (reminds me of George W. Bush on Iraq war).
more...
house cherry blossom flower tattoo
jvordar
07-21 12:47 PM
NSC: June 17nd 2008
Received Paper Receipts: June 24th 2008
Waiting for the FP notices.
Received Paper Receipts: June 24th 2008
Waiting for the FP notices.
tattoo large koi tattoos.
willgetgc2005
03-16 07:58 PM
RAgz4u and other core IV member,
One suggestion, does senator Kennedy know about employment based immigration issues. Have we (IV) contacted him or his office to make sure he is aware of our issue? He has been and will remain a key figure and influencer in this. Just a suggestion that we keep his office abreast of the issues.
Thanks
Does that means that the existing backlog will be cleared fast?
Specter agreed this morning with Kennedy's approach, provided that these illegal immigrants would not be able to start legalization proceedings until the backlog of 3 million people now waiting in countries around the world for their chance to come to the United States legally get their green cards.
Any comments or thoughts on this is highly appreciated.
Thanks
nlssubbu
__________________________________________________ ______________
India - EB3 - Priority Date 07/16/2001
I-140 Applied 07/30/2004 - RFE (Labor Substitue) - 06/27/2005 Replied 10/19/2005 Approved 11/02/2005
I-485 Applied 12/01/2004 - FP done on 1/8/2005 - Approval ??
1st EAD - Applied 12/01/2004 - RFE (Color photo Myself & Daughter) - 2/7/05 Replied 2/18/05 Approved 03/02/05
1st AP - Applied 12/01/2004 - RFE (Color Photo Myself & Daughter) - 2/7/05 Replied 2/18/05 Approved 03/02/05
2nd EAD - Applied 11/02/2005 - Approved 12/02/2005
2nd AP - Applied 11/02/2005 - Approved 12/20/2005
One suggestion, does senator Kennedy know about employment based immigration issues. Have we (IV) contacted him or his office to make sure he is aware of our issue? He has been and will remain a key figure and influencer in this. Just a suggestion that we keep his office abreast of the issues.
Thanks
Does that means that the existing backlog will be cleared fast?
Specter agreed this morning with Kennedy's approach, provided that these illegal immigrants would not be able to start legalization proceedings until the backlog of 3 million people now waiting in countries around the world for their chance to come to the United States legally get their green cards.
Any comments or thoughts on this is highly appreciated.
Thanks
nlssubbu
__________________________________________________ ______________
India - EB3 - Priority Date 07/16/2001
I-140 Applied 07/30/2004 - RFE (Labor Substitue) - 06/27/2005 Replied 10/19/2005 Approved 11/02/2005
I-485 Applied 12/01/2004 - FP done on 1/8/2005 - Approval ??
1st EAD - Applied 12/01/2004 - RFE (Color photo Myself & Daughter) - 2/7/05 Replied 2/18/05 Approved 03/02/05
1st AP - Applied 12/01/2004 - RFE (Color Photo Myself & Daughter) - 2/7/05 Replied 2/18/05 Approved 03/02/05
2nd EAD - Applied 11/02/2005 - Approved 12/02/2005
2nd AP - Applied 11/02/2005 - Approved 12/20/2005
more...
pictures japanese tattoo designs on
ruchigup
08-07 12:44 PM
Per my last talk 2 weeks back with CSR and IO, NC is pending and application is not assigned to IO
See my signature below.
See my signature below.
dresses Cool Japanese Tattoos for Men
ramudu
11-01 09:41 AM
To mailmy_gc : You are very lucky to have it on the 100th day i guess..Mine is pending 98 days and i went to local office - Newark, NJ today and they told me your file is with the IO and you are probably struck in background check - cant understand he spend 90+ days on background check alone! and i am still counting. I met atleast 3 people whose EAD is pending and expired and are counting days. I cant beleive USCIS is no ruthless and care a damn about legal immigrants.
Can anyone tell me how else i can expediate? - I already tried 2 Info pass, one service request, Letter to CIS ombustman (they did respond with rrecommendation). I havent contacted senator (does it help - if so do i just call them or go to there office?). Any input will help.
Can anyone tell me how else i can expediate? - I already tried 2 Info pass, one service request, Letter to CIS ombustman (they did respond with rrecommendation). I havent contacted senator (does it help - if so do i just call them or go to there office?). Any input will help.
more...
makeup Japanese Flower Tattoo Design
nag2007
02-08 04:06 PM
I dont see any light at the tunnel. PDs will not move until they allow 485 filing even PD is not current.
girlfriend The first decorative tattoos
chanduv23
01-03 10:36 PM
:cool:. That restriction is for immigrants. As a non-immigrant he should be able to bring as many wives as he wants.
Maybe he can look into sub classificastion, H4A for one and H4B for another.
Now, if this person is an IV member, will his contriutions towards IV be two fold??? As whatever IV is trying to achieve will benefit his 2 families
Maybe he can look into sub classificastion, H4A for one and H4B for another.
Now, if this person is an IV member, will his contriutions towards IV be two fold??? As whatever IV is trying to achieve will benefit his 2 families
hairstyles japanese flower tattoo designs
lonedesi
04-01 05:39 PM
Please note that there are two webfaxes (10 & 11) to be sent...not just one.
vin13
06-24 01:32 PM
Source: Frank Sharry: Memo to the President: Yes, Move Immigration Reform This Year (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-sharry/memo-to-the-president-yes_b_220072.html)
On June 25th, President Obama is convening a bi-partisan meeting to discuss the prospects for moving on comprehensive immigration reform later this year. If he asked me about the politics of immigration reform in this economic climate, this is the memo I would send to him:
Mr. President, with so many challenges facing America, is it too much to tackle immigration reform this year?
Reform advocates point to the pledge you made on the campaign trail, to make immigration reform a "top priority in my first year." Yet skeptics argue that the economic crisis makes your campaign promise moot. They believe you should delay immigration legislation and focus on the economy and your other legislative priorities. While addressing immigration may seem to be heaping another issue onto an already-full plate of priorities, there are four compelling reasons for you to move forward with reform this year.
First, the public support for immigration reform is growing stronger notwithstanding the conventional wisdom advanced by the political class. For a big majority of Americans, the failure to address immigration is a symbol of Washington's failure to confront and solve tough problems. Comprehensive immigration reform - the key elements of which require strong enforcement at the borders and in the workplace, coupled with a mechanism for unauthorized immigrants to get legal, learn English and pay taxes - is viewed by the majority of Americans as the most practical approach to addressing this complicated problem.
And in this economic downturn, voters are actually more supportive of immigration reform than at any other time. As pollster Celinda Lake tells it, "voters are very focused on finding solutions to our problems. They support comprehensive immigration reform as a practical, common-sense solution and have no patience for politicians who want to point fingers and score points rather than fix the problem."
The evidence for this point of view is growing. A Washington Post/ABC News poll showed 61% support for giving undocumented immigrants the right to live in the U.S. "if they pay a fine and meet other requirements," a 12% increase since 2007. The Pew Research Center recently found that 63% of respondents supported a pathway to citizenship, up 5% from 2007.
In polling conducted in May by Pete Brodnitz of Benenson Strategies for the organization I direct, 64% of voters support comprehensive immigration reform before it is described, and a whopping 86% support comprehensive reform after it is described. In response to a head-to-head question that pits comprehensive reform against the enforcement-only approach favored by most Republicans and some conservative Democrats, comprehensive wins 67% to 31%. Among those voters who describe themselves as undecided for the 2010 Congressional elections, they not only favor comprehensive reform at the same levels as Democratic voters, by a 69% - 28% they want their elected leaders to tackle immigration reform this year.
The second reason you should move forward is that your commitment to move on immigration reform has created enormous expectations in the Latino community. Your campaign promise was a galvanizing factor in motivating Latinos - especially Latino immigrant voters - to turn out in record numbers in 2008 and swing decisively to the Democratic column. These new voters helped flip at least four states that voted for George W. Bush in 2004 to Obama states in 2008 (Florida, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada).
While some like to point out that polls of Hispanics put issues related to the economy as higher on the priority list than immigration reform, the fact is that Immigration reform is a defining issue for Latinos the way civil rights is for many African-American voters, choice is for many female voters, and Israel is for many Jewish voters. For example, in a recent poll of Latino voters conducted by Bendixen and Associates on behalf of America's Voice, 82% called the issue personally important and 87% said they would not consider voting for a Congressional candidate who favors forcing most of those in the U.S. illegally to leave the country. Moreover, expectations are sky-high: three out of four Latino voters expect you to keep your pledge to move on immigration reform in the first year.
The third reason you should move forward is that fixing immigration is a critical component of fixing the economy. Immigration reform will benefit American taxpayers by requiring workers and their employers to get legal and comply with their tax obligations; it will benefit American workers whose wages and working conditions are depressed by unscrupulous employers who exploit unauthorized workers; and it will benefit law-abiding employers currently undercut by bad-actor competitors by significantly reducing the incentive to underpay workers and pay them off the books in order to win business. As for increased revenues, get this: a Congressional Budget Office study of a legalization component included in the 2006 McCain-Kennedy bill projected increased revenues over 10 years totaling $66 billion. Not bad at a time of squeezed budgets.
Finally, the moral stakes are high and getting higher. How we as a nation deal with illegal immigration has become a defining moral issue for our nation. Ultimately, the question we face is this: are we going to allow hardliners who want nothing less than the expulsion of millions of immigrant families already living in our communities to dominate the debate? Or are we going to live up to our tradition as both a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws and write a new chapter in the American story of how including "them" makes for a stronger "us?"
Immigration reform will not be easy, and yet, this is the kind of big issue that led you to proclaim the fierce urgency of now and run for President.
This is your kind of fight, Mr. President. History is calling.
On June 25th, President Obama is convening a bi-partisan meeting to discuss the prospects for moving on comprehensive immigration reform later this year. If he asked me about the politics of immigration reform in this economic climate, this is the memo I would send to him:
Mr. President, with so many challenges facing America, is it too much to tackle immigration reform this year?
Reform advocates point to the pledge you made on the campaign trail, to make immigration reform a "top priority in my first year." Yet skeptics argue that the economic crisis makes your campaign promise moot. They believe you should delay immigration legislation and focus on the economy and your other legislative priorities. While addressing immigration may seem to be heaping another issue onto an already-full plate of priorities, there are four compelling reasons for you to move forward with reform this year.
First, the public support for immigration reform is growing stronger notwithstanding the conventional wisdom advanced by the political class. For a big majority of Americans, the failure to address immigration is a symbol of Washington's failure to confront and solve tough problems. Comprehensive immigration reform - the key elements of which require strong enforcement at the borders and in the workplace, coupled with a mechanism for unauthorized immigrants to get legal, learn English and pay taxes - is viewed by the majority of Americans as the most practical approach to addressing this complicated problem.
And in this economic downturn, voters are actually more supportive of immigration reform than at any other time. As pollster Celinda Lake tells it, "voters are very focused on finding solutions to our problems. They support comprehensive immigration reform as a practical, common-sense solution and have no patience for politicians who want to point fingers and score points rather than fix the problem."
The evidence for this point of view is growing. A Washington Post/ABC News poll showed 61% support for giving undocumented immigrants the right to live in the U.S. "if they pay a fine and meet other requirements," a 12% increase since 2007. The Pew Research Center recently found that 63% of respondents supported a pathway to citizenship, up 5% from 2007.
In polling conducted in May by Pete Brodnitz of Benenson Strategies for the organization I direct, 64% of voters support comprehensive immigration reform before it is described, and a whopping 86% support comprehensive reform after it is described. In response to a head-to-head question that pits comprehensive reform against the enforcement-only approach favored by most Republicans and some conservative Democrats, comprehensive wins 67% to 31%. Among those voters who describe themselves as undecided for the 2010 Congressional elections, they not only favor comprehensive reform at the same levels as Democratic voters, by a 69% - 28% they want their elected leaders to tackle immigration reform this year.
The second reason you should move forward is that your commitment to move on immigration reform has created enormous expectations in the Latino community. Your campaign promise was a galvanizing factor in motivating Latinos - especially Latino immigrant voters - to turn out in record numbers in 2008 and swing decisively to the Democratic column. These new voters helped flip at least four states that voted for George W. Bush in 2004 to Obama states in 2008 (Florida, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada).
While some like to point out that polls of Hispanics put issues related to the economy as higher on the priority list than immigration reform, the fact is that Immigration reform is a defining issue for Latinos the way civil rights is for many African-American voters, choice is for many female voters, and Israel is for many Jewish voters. For example, in a recent poll of Latino voters conducted by Bendixen and Associates on behalf of America's Voice, 82% called the issue personally important and 87% said they would not consider voting for a Congressional candidate who favors forcing most of those in the U.S. illegally to leave the country. Moreover, expectations are sky-high: three out of four Latino voters expect you to keep your pledge to move on immigration reform in the first year.
The third reason you should move forward is that fixing immigration is a critical component of fixing the economy. Immigration reform will benefit American taxpayers by requiring workers and their employers to get legal and comply with their tax obligations; it will benefit American workers whose wages and working conditions are depressed by unscrupulous employers who exploit unauthorized workers; and it will benefit law-abiding employers currently undercut by bad-actor competitors by significantly reducing the incentive to underpay workers and pay them off the books in order to win business. As for increased revenues, get this: a Congressional Budget Office study of a legalization component included in the 2006 McCain-Kennedy bill projected increased revenues over 10 years totaling $66 billion. Not bad at a time of squeezed budgets.
Finally, the moral stakes are high and getting higher. How we as a nation deal with illegal immigration has become a defining moral issue for our nation. Ultimately, the question we face is this: are we going to allow hardliners who want nothing less than the expulsion of millions of immigrant families already living in our communities to dominate the debate? Or are we going to live up to our tradition as both a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws and write a new chapter in the American story of how including "them" makes for a stronger "us?"
Immigration reform will not be easy, and yet, this is the kind of big issue that led you to proclaim the fierce urgency of now and run for President.
This is your kind of fight, Mr. President. History is calling.
wolfpok
01-20 09:26 AM
Our letters are in the mail. Updated the poll yesterday. Who is next? :)
pok
pok
No comments:
Post a Comment