This week’s blog rounds up a few immigration-related issues, such as military service, public health and, of course, the Sotomayor nomination.
Standing FIRM answered the question "What does Obama’s SCOTUS nomination have to do with immigration reform?" While commentators are suggesting that the nomination is an indication of Obama trying to delay immigration reform, FIRM reminded us that the President is already scheduled to meet with Congressional leaders on immigration reform on June 8th.
Professor Michael A. Olivas of the University of Houston wrote of the nominee:
Judge Sotomayor’s life and legal career are arcs possible only in this country: a hardscrabble life in a South Bronx housing project, educational opportunities made possible by her own intelligence and hard work, and a legal career devoted to public service.
A new poll by America’s Voice also reminded us that immigration reform is a crucial issue for Latino voters, who voted overwhelmingly for Obama and largely expect him to "do the right thing" on immigration.
Change.org blogged this week about the positive impact immigrants have had on cities losing its populations. Philadelphia shrank by 30 percent between 1950-2000, and was stabilized by immigrants replacing those leaving. Now community leaders in Cleveland are looking at the Philadelphia example to address their own population decline, which could shrink to under 400,000 in 2010.
The Associated Press also ran a story on the number of foreign-born soldiers in the military, which is now 31,000, or 1.5 percent. In a Memorial Day ceremony, 150 immigrants serving in Afghanistan were naturalized by U.S. immigration officials.
Change.org blogged on three public health reasons to pass immigration reform:
-Failing to pass immigration reform hinders other reform efforts, including health care reform.
-Excluding undocumented workers from access to health care makes documented workers less competitive, putting pressure on employers to cut health benefits for documented workers.
-Excluding undocumented workers from health coverage is bad health policy for everyone.
Latina Lista’s guest blogger, Dr. Douglas Massey, is a sociologist who researches the behavior of documented and undocumented immigrants in the United States and recently testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship recently. In his testimony, he stated:
Unfortunately the current immigration crisis is very much one of our own making, reflecting bad policy choices in the past; but fortunately this means that with better policy choices we have the power to resolve the dilemma moving forward.
Finally, here’s a summary of the Reuniting Families Act sponsored by Senators Menendez, Gillibrand and Kennedy:
-Recapture unused family-based and employment-based visas previously allocated by Congress which remain unused.
-Allow green card holders to reunite with their spouses and minor children.
-Increase the per country limits of family and employment-based visas from 7% to 10%.
-Allow widows and widowers to immigrate despite death of a petitioner.
-Promote family unity by allowing more people to use the system.
-Recognize the sacrifices that certain World War II Filipino veterans made for this country by exempting their children from the numerical caps on visas.