This week’s Immigration Blog Roundup will cover state and federal updates, new research, and more…
A bill authored by Republican Sen. Kathy Campbell proposes providing prenatal care for all pregnant, low-income women regardless of immigrant statutes under the Children’s Health Insurance Program in Nebraska. Until a few months ago, the state offered prenatal care to all pregnant women through its Medicaid program, that is, until the federal government notified the Nebraska Dept. of Health and Human Services that federal Medicaid policy does not cover the "unborn child." The bill is being backed by a diversity of organizations including pro-life and immigrant advocates.
Minorities make up almost half of the children born in the U.S. and are expected to become the U.S. majority in the next 40-50 years. Read more here.
The Wall Street Journal reports on a plan by lawmakers to implement a national biometric identification card that all American workers would be required to obtain. The plan, backed by Senators Schumer and Graham who are spearheading comprehensive immigration reform for 2010, attempts to offer an alternative to the much flawed E-verify system to discourage an influx of undocumented immigrants once CIR passes.
The Arizona House of Representatives is expected to vote this week on Senate Bill 1070 and House Bill 2632 which would require police to make a "reasonable attempt" to determine the immigration status of anyone they come into contact with during an investigation, give them the authority to arrest someone if they have probable cause to believe that they are undocumented, and criminalizes transporting, harboring, or shielding anyone if the person knows or disregards the fact that they are undocumented. Go to the Border Action Network website to read more.
After reporting in November that the number of deportations increased 47 percent under the Obama administration, the Department of Homeland Security is now saying that it was a mistake and the actual increase was only 5 percent. The 387,790 undocumented immigrants removed by ICE last year however is still a record.
The Immigration Policy Center has released its research on the economic and political impact of immigrants in Washington State.
Join the Reform Immigration for America Campaign in the March for America on March 21st in Washington, DC! Get more information here.