Immigration

August 9, 2007 -- JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Governor Matt Blunt today issued the following statement on United States Attorney Catherine Hanaway’s action against immigration fraud:

“I strongly commend United States Attorney Catherine Hanaway and her professional staff for highly committed and vigorous enforcement of the federal laws against immigration fraud. Because of Nathan Cooper’s necessary resignation for serious criminal misconduct, I will take the appropriate steps to set a special election to ensure representation for the people of the district.    » read more »

06 August 2007 -- More than 200 day laborers and advocates from across the United States converged on Capitol Hill Thursday to call for a moratorium on immigration raids. The National Day Laborer Organizing Network or NDLON sponsored the protest and a four-day convention. The group says raids against day laborers and illegal immigrants have increased because lawmakers cannot agree on a comprehensive immigration reform bill. They say the system is broken and it is creating hardship for day laborers and their families.    » read more »

31 July 2007 (By VOA News) -- The United States has raised the cost for immigrants to apply for citizenship or permanent residency.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services implemented the new fee schedule this week Monday, raising application and petition fees by an average of 66 percent.

The cost to apply for naturalization increased from $400 to $675. Prospective permanent residents now must pay more than $1,300.

The Bush administration says revenue from the fee increase will be used to improve services, modernize infrastructure and meet national security requirements.    » read more »

July 12, 2007 -- On June 11, 2007, Mr. Prakash Khatri, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CISOMB) delivered the 2007 Annual Report to Congress. The Ombudsman’s annual reports focus on identifying systemic issues that cause delay in granting immigration benefits as well as pervasive and serious problems faced by individuals and employers in their interactions with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).    » read more »

Smooth Talking Mitt Should Give Clear Answer at Young Republicans Convention

July 6, 2007 -- Smooth talking Mitt Romney has an opportunity to make a strong statement about what brand of politics he believes is appropriate when he addresses the Young Republican National Convention tomorrow in Hollywood, Florida.

In recent years, College Republican chapters and other young Republican groups across the country have engaged in a series of bigoted and divisive stunts aimed at scapegoating groups of Americans for political gain.    » read more »

July 2, 2007 -- After Senate Republicans and their right-wing allies defeated bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform last week, The New York Times reported yesterday that the GOP will pay a price in 2008 and lose support from Hispanic voters. As the report notes, “…Hispanics may have been deeply alienated by the heated rhetoric that wound around the axle of the debate, most of it stemming from a few Republican opponents and the loud echo chamber of talk radio.”    » read more »

June 28, 2007 -- Washington, DC– The following is a statement issued by Senator Jim Webb following the failed cloture vote on the immigration bill:    » read more »

06/28/2007 -- The Senate rejected an immigration reform package that Senator Bernie Sanders opposed because it would have driven down wages and benefits for U.S. workers by letting employers recruit lower-paid foreign guest workers.    » read more »

Senator Menendez criticizes role of Bush administration, looks to the future

June 28, 2007 -- WASHINGTON – After a failed cloture vote to end debate and proceed to a final vote on the immigration bill, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who voted in favor of cloture, today took to the Senate floor to express his disappointment with the bill’s direction and eventual collapse.    » read more »

June 28, 2007 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today voted “Yes” to end debate and proceed to a final vote on the immigration bill, but the bill failed a cloture vote 46-53. Only 24% (12 out of 49) of Republicans voted to proceed on the bill, and two of the Republicans who helped first announce the Grand Bargain even voted against cloture (Sens. Isakson and Chambliss).

Sen. Menendez released the following statement:    » read more »

06/28/2007 -- WASHINGTON D.C. – Senator John Kerry said that the Senate had missed a tremendous opportunity today by failing to enact bi-partisan immigration reform, and promised to work hard with his colleagues to revisit immigration issues later this year.

“This vote didn’t live up to the ideals of the United States of America. This vote broke faith with immigrants who have volunteered to risk their lives on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan,” Kerry said.    » read more »

June 28, 2007 -- “America is a nation of immigrants, but we are a nation that believes in controlled immigration. Since the beginning of the debate on how to fix our broken immigration system, I have emphasized three core concerns: strengthening our borders, holding employers accountable if they hire illegal immigrants, and dealing with the 12 million undocumented immigrants in a way that is practical and fair to American workers and taxpayers.    » read more »

June 28, 2007 -- "It is now clear that we are not going to complete our work on immigration reform. That is enormously disappointing for Congress and for the country.

But we will be back, and we will prevail. The American people sent us here to act on our most urgent problems, and they will not accept inaction.

I have seen this happen time and time again. America always finds a way to solve its problems, expand its frontiers, and move closer to its ideals. It is not always easy, but it is the American way.    » read more »

June 28, 2007 -- Mr. President, our immigration system is broken and needs reform. Undocumented immigrants flow through our porous borders. Employers hire them with near impunity. Our government lacks the ability to adequately detect unauthorized employment, while employers in sectors such as agriculture, Michigan’s second largest industry, fear that their crops will go unpicked for lack of legal, authorized workers. The bipartisan compromise bill before the Senate was an opportunity to make progress on a very difficult problem.    » read more »

June 28, 2007 -- Washington, DC – “I am deeply disappointed that we still have not solved our nation's immigration crisis. We need comprehensive immigration reform, and I hope that we can find a solution that secures our borders, respects the rule of law, and honors both our history as a nation of immigrants and our basic values of respect and compassion.    » read more »