MEMORANDUM

Immigration Reform 2013:

Washington Times: Border Control is Primary Problem Enforcement is still the primary issue in the immigration reform debate, as it should be.

CQ.com: GOP Senators Offer a ‘Starting Point’ For Immigration Debate Ahead (Article pasted below) Senate Republicans took a first step Tuesday toward a compromise on immigration by proposing to allow young illegal immigrants brought to this country as children to remain permanently.  Sens. Jon Kyl of Arizona and Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas — both of whom are retiring at the end of the year — unveiled legislation that would create three new visa categories for young immigrants who enroll in college or join the military.

CQ.com: Lobbyists Stress Need for a ‘Clean’ Immigration Bill in Next Congress (Article pasted below) Even as Congress is consumed with fiscal cliff negotiations, lobbyists and activists on all sides of the immigration debate are mobilizing their grass roots, staking out policy turf and gearing up for a huge push next year.

Bernama.com: Mexican President-elect Pledges Cooperation with US over Illegal Immigration Mexican President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto on Tuesday pledged continued cooperation with the United States in tackling illegal immigration from Mexico.

State and Local Update:

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Could Appeal Immigration Law Case to U.S. Supreme Court The long-running legal battle over Georgia’s illegal immigration law could continue for months and keep a hotly debated part of the statute on hold if the state decides to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Visa Reform:

CQ.com: House GOP Sets Friday Vote on Modified Visa Bill (Article pasted below) A House vote Friday on a measure that would grant more visas to foreign graduates of American universities will provide an early test of the momentum toward a bipartisan immigration overhaul in the wake of the Nov. 6 elections.


GOP Senators Offer a 'Starting Point' For Immigration Debate Ahead
By David Harrison, CQ Roll Call

Senate Republicans took a first step Tuesday toward a compromise on immigration by proposing to allow young illegal immigrants brought to this country as children to remain permanently.

Sens. Jon Kyl of Arizona and Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas — both of whom are retiring at the end of the year — unveiled legislation that would create three new visa categories for young immigrants who enroll in college or join the military.

A draft bill the senators have been working on for months would not grant young undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship, an omission designed to head off Republican opposition but a move likely to cost the measure Democratic support. For more than a decade, Democrats have pushed the Dream Act (HR 1842, S 952), which would give young illegal immigrants a direct route to gaining citizenship.
 
Hutchison described her proposal with Kyl as a “starting point” in an immigration debate during the months ahead. “We wanted to put down a well-thought-out position that would give people a chance to look at it and possibly debate it during the lame duck. If not, certainly as a starter for next year,” she said.

The Republican proposal comes as the GOP seeks to improve its image among Hispanic voters, who overwhelmingly supported President Barack Obama’s re-election.

“Most of this has been in the works for a long time,” said Tamar Jacoby, president and CEO of ImmigrationWorks USA, which advocates for immigration policy from a business perspective. “The election has intensified things and accelerated them, but Republicans have been thinking about changing the dynamics on immigration and thinking about solutions toward fixing the legal immigration system. This is the fruit of that process.”

The election has emboldened Democrats, who are now more forceful in their demands for a comprehensive immigration overhaul. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has said he will push for a comprehensive overhaul that would grant citizenship to many of the 11 million people living here illegally.

The proposal by Kyl and Hutchison would apply to people younger than 28 who have lived in the country for the previous five years. Applicants would have to show they have lived here since age 14, stayed out of legal trouble, learned English and know about U.S. history and government.

Applicants would have six years to complete a post-secondary degree or enlist in the military under a new “W-1” visa category. They would have to check in with authorities every six months and would not be eligible for federal welfare benefits. Once they completed their studies or completed their military obligation, applicants would receive a “W-2” visa allowing them to work legally for four years. After that, they would be able to apply for a “W-3” visa granting permanent residency and work authorization, but without the possibility of becoming a citizen.

The bill is similar to a proposal discussed earlier this year by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., his party’s point man on immigration in the Senate. Rubio, who helped Kyl and Hutchison with their measure, said he would get behind it if it gains traction in the Senate.

Rubio’s own proposal never materialized into a bill but attracted tentative support from Democrats and immigration advocates. He ended up shelving his plan after Obama announced in June that he would grant administrative reprieve to young undocumented immigrants, making it possible for them to live and work legally in the country. Rubio said Tuesday he plans to introduce a new version of his proposal early next year.

Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., said Tuesday that although he had not studied the latest Republican proposal, he was not inclined to support it because it does not include a pathway to citizenship. “It falls short,” he said. “Without that pathway, it isn’t really about achieving a dream.”

Lorella Praeli, policy director at United We Dream, which advocates for passage of the Dream Act, called the proposal a “cynical political gesture.”

“We can’t take seriously legislation that does nothing to provide a road map to citizenship,” she said in a statement. “We won’t stop fighting until we win citizenship for every single new American. We need Sens. Hutchison and Kyl and the rest of their party to come to the table and sit down with Democrats to come up with a real solution.”

Menendez said he is encouraged by the new Republican tone in the aftermath of the election. “I’m always optimistic when they move in a better direction,” he said, adding that the GOP has now realized it needs to reach out to Hispanic and immigrant groups. “The Republican Party needs to do a better job of listening to their concerns, and they fell far short of that.”

John Gramlich contributed to this story.
A version of this article appeared in the Nov. 28, 2012 print issue of Roll Call
Source: CQ News
Round-the-clock coverage of news from Capitol Hill.
© 2012 CQ Roll Call All Rights Reserved.

Lobbyists Stress Need for a 'Clean' Immigration Bill in Next Congress
By Kate Ackley, CQ Roll Call

Even as Congress is consumed with fiscal cliff negotiations, lobbyists and activists on all sides of the immigration debate are mobilizing their grass roots, staking out policy turf and gearing up for a huge push next year.

Advocates of overhauling the nation’s immigration laws say their messaging includes entreaties to Congress to keep any bill clean. The fear is the legislation could become a “Christmas tree,” larded up with enough pet projects and controversial amendments to sink it. Such a scenario is not lost on overhaul opponents, either.

“Anybody that comes forward with non- germane measures or something that is intended to delay and frustrate the process, we are going to keep our eyes on them,” said Eliseo Medina, secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union, which supports a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. “They’re buying themselves a lot of trouble in the next election if they stand in the way of real reform.”

A comprehensive rewrite of immigration laws appears to be one of the few opportunities for bipartisan comity in the next Congress. And it’s an issue that many Republicans say their party must take on, especially after Mitt Romney lost the Latino vote by a huge margin.

Medina said his outreach to the Latino community is full time — with ongoing operations in such states as Colorado, Nevada, Florida, Texas and California. The upcoming campaign will include rallies, one-on-one meetings with members of Congress and more specifics that will be announced within 45 days, he said.

Advocates from different sides of the issue agree that an immigration rewrite will likely be a Senate-driven process requiring the chamber’s leaders to devise a legislative framework and stick to it. Senators such as Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democrat Charles E. Schumer of New York are among the players that K Street plans to court.

“Managers of the legislation on both sides of the aisle in both chambers will be ... keeping a wary eye out for extraneous amendments that could potentially bring the bill down,” said Chuck Merin, a veteran lobbyist with Prime Policy Group whose restaurant and travel clients have a stake in the outcome.

The starting point should be finding a path to citizenship for undocumented workers already here, according to many rewrite advocates such as Medina. Though some Republicans think that could be a nonstarter, pressure from the evangelical community could yet garner GOP support.

Randy Johnson, who handles immigration for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is busy laying the groundwork with the business group’s members around the country. “I’ve been doing this over a decade, and I feel more optimistic now than I ever have,” he said. “You reap what you sow.”

The group supports increased border security, a civil fine for those who entered the country illegally and tougher penalties for businesses that hire undocumented employees. Johnson said employers need more temporary workers to fill slots.

But Julie Kirchner, executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which strongly opposes citizenship for illegal immigrants, isn’t buying Johnson’s message. With unemployment at roughly 8 percent, she said, finding workers isn’t the problem. And FAIR activists are making personal calls to their networks urging voters to press their case with lawmakers.

An immigration overhaul could attract non-germane amendments or ones expressly designed to derail the measure. A 2007 overhaul of immigration laws drew hundreds of proposed amendments and was eventually shelved after Senate leaders couldn’t come to agreement.

“I can guarantee you, there will be people pushing every variation of immigration reform legislation,” Kirchner said. “We’ll see what kind of behemoth this turns into.”

But Matthew Soerens, U.S. church training specialist for World Relief, the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals, said that more conservative-voting church- goers are beginning to view immigration in a new light, as their pastors and leaders have called for immigration reform.

“More and more evangelicals in the pews are asking what a biblical response to immigration issues looks like,” he said, adding that the Bible preaches respect for the rule of law, as well as treating immigrants with compassion.

His organization supports toughening border control, making it easier to immigrate legally and keep families together and setting fines for those who entered the U.S. illegally and then putting them on a path toward citizenship.

Soerens’ evangelical organization has ramped up its grass-roots outreach since the elections and plans to distribute bookmarks with references to 40 relevant biblical passages that it urges parishioners to read over 40 days.

But legislation addressing the already politically thorny issue may morph into a crucible for other socially charged topics.

Kevin Appleby, director of migration policy for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said his group is ginning up its grass roots and plans to work both sides of the aisle in support of a bill. “There is a moral argument to be made,” he said. “We have 11 million undocumented people living in the shadows, a lot of them work in this country as a permanent underclass. That’s not the American way.”

But Appleby will keep his eyes out for a policy that would create an immigration category for relatives of same-sex families, something the bishops oppose. That would “only complicate the situation. It’s an explosive mix,” he said.

A version of this article appeared in the Nov. 28, 2012 print issue of Roll Call
Source: CQ News
Round-the-clock coverage of news from Capitol Hill.
© 2012 CQ Roll Call All Rights Reserved.

House GOP Sets Friday Vote on Modified Visa Bill
By John Gramlich, CQ Roll Call

A House vote Friday on a measure that would grant more visas to foreign graduates of American universities will provide an early test of the momentum toward a bipartisan immigration overhaul in the wake of the Nov. 6 elections.

Republican leaders set up the vote on a modified version of the bill (HR 6429) that would abolish a program that currently awards 55,000 visas through a lottery system and redirect those visas to immigrants who graduate from American universities with degrees in science, technology, engineering and math, also known as the STEM fields. Doctoral degree holders would receive preference for the visas, with leftovers going to those with master’s degrees.

The House rejected a similar version of the measure in September, when it picked up 257 votes — including the support of 30 Democrats — but failed to reach the two-thirds threshold, or 290 votes, needed to pass the bill under suspension of the rules.

The Rules Committee meets Wednesday and is expected to approve a rule requiring only a simple majority to pass, a threshold that aides and advocacy groups expect to be easily met.

Republican leaders also stressed they have included new language to make the bill more appealing to Democrats.

Among the changes, the bill would make it easier for family members of green card holders to move to the United States while they await green cards of their own. Relatives currently must wait in their home countries and away from family members for up to two years, but the amended version would cut that period in half.

“This is the first step forward toward doing something concrete and delivering results on immigration reform,” said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va. “This is a bill that both sides support. There’s no reason for any of the Democrats to vote against this bill.”

Matt Sparks, a spokesman for House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said the revisions show “the seriousness of House Republicans in getting this piece of immigration reform through both chambers.”

House Democrats say they support the concept of the Republican bill but prefer bigger changes as part of a comprehensive overhaul of the immigration system, rather than handling policy changes through the “step-by-step” approach that Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, has advocated since the elections. A House Democratic aide said the changes that Republicans have made to the measure amount to “crumbs.”

The measure’s prospects in the Senate, meanwhile, are bleak, at least during the lame-duck session. Floor time is limited, and Senate Democrats have expressed their own reservations, both about the details of the House bill and the piecemeal approach favored by House Republican leaders.

A White House official echoed the position of congressional Democrats on Tuesday.

“We support expansion of STEM visas in general as part of a broader immigration reform, but any legislation that moves should be part of a balanced approach to fixing the immigration system, and this proposal does not meet that standard,” the official said. “We are encouraged that House Republicans appear ready to start this conversation, and we look forward to working with them, as well as with House Democrats and members of the Senate on a more comprehensive approach to fixing our immigration system that includes an expansion of STEM visas as well as other important priorities.”

But Republicans are eager to show that they are serious about advancing immigration changes, particularly after an election year in which nearly three-quarters of Hispanic voters backed President Barack Obama over GOP nominee Mitt Romney.

While behind-the-scenes work on the visa legislation has carried on for more than a year, the election has “accelerated” the desire of Republicans to tackle the issue, said Tamar Jacoby, president and CEO of ImmigrationWorks USA, a business coalition that lobbies for less restrictive immigration laws. Jacoby said that was evident not only in the House’s upcoming vote on the visa measure, but also by the separate introduction Tuesday of a Republican Senate bill that would expand pathways to legal residency for some children of illegal immigrants.

A question ahead of Friday’s vote, besides the level of Democratic support it will garner, is whether conservative and moderate Republicans will be united. All but five Republicans voted in favor of the House bill in September, but that was before the assistance for family members was added.

The updated measure also has left some who voted against the initial version unsatisfied. Rep. Walter B. Jones, a North Carolina Republican who voted against the bill in September, is likely to do so again “due to his opposition of importing labor when so many in our country need jobs,” Catherine Fodor, a spokeswoman, said in an e-mail. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., also intends to vote no for the second time, a spokeswoman said.

Advocates agree that the House bill is unlikely to advance in the Senate this year and characterized Friday’s vote as a test of the House’s mood heading into a year in which immigration debates are expected to feature prominently on Capitol Hill. “This is the preamble to a longer story,” Jacoby said.

Daniel Newhauser and David Harrison contributed to this report.
Source: CQ News
Round-the-clock coverage of news from Capitol Hill.
© 2012 CQ Roll Call All Rights Reserved.