Immigration

Sen. Menendez, Reps. Lofgren and Conyers, along with representatives of the religious community and civil liberties advocates, push for passage of Detainee Basic Medical Care Act

May 21, 2008 -- WASHINGTON—Today, a coalition of Members of Congress, representatives of the religious community and civil liberties advocates joined together to call for basic human rights for immigrants detained in the United States. The group was led by U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI), who are working to pass the Detainee Basic Medical Care Act.    » read more »

(As Prepared for Delivery)

May 12, 2008 -- Mr. President, I would like to speak for a few moments on another issue, and I ask that my remarks be printed at the appropriate place in the Record.

Mr. President, an urgent aspect of the immigration issue is the appalling lack of medical care available for immigrants held in custody of the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Senator Menendez and I have introduced legislation today, the Detainee Basic Medical Care Act of 2008, to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to deliver timely and effective medical and mental health care to individuals in its custody.    » read more »

May 5, 2008 -- After announcing the new Spanish-language page of his website during a press conference in Arizona this morning, John McCain once again tried to have it both ways on the immigration reform debate, demonstrating yet again that he's not able to lead his own Party, much less the country.

John McCain = 3rd Bush term sign: Photo by Matt Ortega (CC)    » read more »

May 01, 2008 -- Chicago, IL - Two years ago, I came home to Chicago to witness the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of citizens and immigrants united in an effort to fix our immigration system. I spoke to the marchers that day, and Senator Kennedy spoke to those marching in Washington. They said to us, "today we march and tomorrow we vote."

Two years later, our immigration problems remain unresolved, and those who want change will have to vote for change in November. So today, I encourage the thousands of people who are marching and calling for change to work hard registering voters in the months to come. Your vote is your voice.    » read more »

April 16, 2008 -- Washington, DC -- House Judiciary Committee Chairman, John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), and Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), announced that today's oversight hearing on the H-2B program will be the first in a series of immigration hearings. The subcommittee and the full committee will conduct several hearings on this issue in the coming weeks.

“Over the past year, it has become clear that we need an immigration system that is fair, legal, and tough," said Conyers. "The Bush administration has lost control of our borders and failed to deliver an immigration system that is good for American families, workers, and businesses. It is time to address those failures.    » read more »

April 1, 2008 -- Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri today reiterated his belief that elected officials have an obligation to enforce and support all federal, state and local laws -- including those barring illegal immigration.

"Last week, I issued an Executive Order that is designed solely to enforce the illegal immigration laws currently on the books," Governor Carcieri said.

Anti-immigration sign on a garage in Chepachet, Rhode Island: (Photo CC Apollo-Jack)    » read more »

March 14, 2008 -- Two weeks ago it was reported that John McCain's campaign approved a package of enforcement-only bills drafted by Senate Republicans to use immigration as a wedge issue. [washingtontimes.com, 3/6/08] The package was described by the LA Times as "the hardest-hitting package of immigration enforcement measures seen yet -- one that would require jail time for illegal immigrants caught crossing the border, make it harder for them to open bank accounts and compel them to communicate in English when dealing with federal agencies." [LA Times, 3/4/08]    » read more »

March 10, 2008 -- Jim Oberweis, the favorite candidate of the anti-immigrant right lost a special election to fill the seat of retired former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert Saturday despite John McCain's support and help raising money. It was just three weeks ago that McCain campaigned for Oberweis, standing by as the congressional candidate told a crowd that on border security and other issues, "John McCain and I stand united...And on each of these issues, and others, our opponents -- mine and his -- have taken the wrong side." [The Beacon News, 2/21/08]    » read more »

March 5, 2008 -- WASHINGTON – Today a group of Republican senators introduced a package of bills on immigration that represents harsher immigration regulations but not the comprehensive approach that is needed to fix the broken system.

Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), one of the original negotiators during last year’s attempt at comprehensive immigration reform, today challenged Senator John McCain (R-AZ), the presumptive Republican presidential nominee who in the past has worked on comprehensive immigration reform, to reject this Republican approach.    » read more »

February 29, 2008 -- P-28 was designed to be a demonstration of critical technologies and system integration under the broader SBInet initiative. Specifically, its purpose was to demonstrate the feasibility of the SBInet technical approach developed by Boeing, and to show that this type of technology could be deployed to help secure the southwest border of the United States. The intended objective has been achieved – after successful field testing, we formally accepted it from Boeing last week.    » read more »

Feb. 4, 2008 -- Crewmembers from the Coast Guard Cutter Valiant interdicted 131 Haitian migrants aboard a grossly overloaded sail-freighter Saturday, 35 miles west of Great Inagua, Bahamas. (USCG photo)

MIAMI - The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Valiant repatriated 131 Haitian migrants to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday.

Valiant's crew located a Haitian sail-freighter with an unknown number of people aboard while conducting a law-enforcement patrol about 35 miles west of Great Inagua, Bahamas, Saturday morning.    » read more »

February 6, 2008 -- Employers in the United States have often faced a shortage of available domestic workers who are able, willing and qualified to fill seasonal agricultural jobs. The H-2A program was instituted to meet this need for seasonal and temporary labor, without adding permanent residents to the population.

The H-2A program is authorized by the Immigration and Nationality Act, (INA) sec. 101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(a), 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(a), which permits U.S. employers to bring temporary foreign workers into the United States to perform seasonal agricultural work.    » read more »

January 30, 2008 -- Now that his win in Florida has thrust him back into frontrunner status, the voters are getting another look at John McCain's do-anything-to-win campaign strategy. On issue after issue, including his own signature immigration reform bill, the John McCain who once had a reputation for sticking to his principles no matter the cost has been replaced with the opportunistic John McCain who has set aside his principles.    » read more »

Minnesota teams with ICE to increase enforcement; better verification for new state employees

January 7, 2008 -- Saint Paul – Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced executive actions and legislative proposals to counter illegal immigration.

“Legal immigration is an important part of our American heritage, but we need to do more to combat illegal immigration,” Governor Pawlenty said.

Governor Pawlenty announced four measures to be implemented through executive action:    » read more »

January 4, 2008 -- Lincoln, NE -- Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman today announced a targeted legislative proposal that would prohibit illegal immigrants from receiving state benefits. The legislation would require state agencies and local subdivisions to verify that any resident applying for state benefits is here legally. The bill is a cooperative effort with Attorney General Jon Bruning and Sen. Mike Friend of Omaha, sponsor of the bill.    » read more »