Jessica Hernandez, 4, gets carried by her uncle, Jose Rodriguez, after marching from the Salt Lake City & County Building to the Utah State Capitol and back in a show of support for immigrants' rights on Saturday, March 5, 2011. Laura Seitz, Deseret News

Google, Goya, Yahoo, Intel and Levi Strauss. It’s hard to imagine a day without these iconic and uniquely American brands.

But what most people don’t know is that all of them were founded or co-founded by immigrants.

Goya foods was started by Don Prudencio and Carolina Unanueb — a young immigrant couple who in 1936 sold olives and olive oil from a tiny Manhattan storefront. Almost 60 years later, the website Yahoo was co-created by Jerry Yang, who immigrated to California from Taipei as a child.

Immigrants founded 18 percent of the 2010 Fortune 500 companies — which post combined revenues of $1.7 trillion and employ more than 3.6 million people.

Our current economy certainly needs to be fostering success stories like these. But just as important: we also need to foster the successes of countless immigrants who mow our lawns, build our roads, clean our offices and harvest our crops. Because we all benefit from their work, too.

Too often, immigrants work in our country’s underground economy — earning unfair wages, suffering unsafe conditions and hiding from authorities. This is not only wrong, it’s economically self-defeating. For generations, immigrants have helped to bring prosperity to our country through entrepreneurial spirit and sweat equity.

Given their economic potential, why would anyone want to shut off the tap of foreign-born talent? Why force willing wage earners — and potential taxpayers — into the shadows with no path to legal citizenship?

I’m perplexed by the questions because the answers seem so obvious. Yet the current U.S. immigration system does exactly these things.

We educate foreign-born workers at a faster rate than any other country. But our outdated immigration system often sends them packing, only to create billion-dollar companies in countries that compete against us.

Our flawed immigration system also threatens the country’s agriculture industry. Growers that can’t find field labor end up shutting down or turning to undocumented workers.

I’ve heard the arguments: Immigrants take jobs away from native-born workers. They depress wages. Both claims are false. In fact, every immigrant farm worker supports three additional jobs — often in better-paying sectors like manufacturing, packaging and transportation. In high-skilled industries, the impact is even greater with each immigrant worker estimated to create five additional jobs. As for pay, studies show that native workers earn higher wages in areas with higher immigration.

If the status quo persists, America stands to miss enormous opportunities to accelerate our recovery.

I’m particularly concerned about undocumented young people who live in the U.S. because their parents came here seeking a brighter future. I think about them every time I talk about the DREAM Act — legislation designed to stop punishing innocent young people for the actions of their parents by giving them the chance to obtain legal status either by pursuing a higher education or by serving in the U.S. armed forces.

Sadly, the DREAM Act has yet to become reality, despite the economic value. Students who will benefit from the DREAM Act are projected to contribute well over $1 billion in tax returns for multiple years. That benefits all of us.

We have made progress. The Obama administration recently unveiled new policy initiatives to attract foreign entrepreneurs who can invest in fields of high unemployment and start new companies. The recent expansion of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs and support of emerging legislation like the StartUp Visa Act also point in the right direction.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced they will begin applying common sense guidelines to deportation decisions, factoring in ties and contributions to the community, family relationships and military service records.

These are significant steps, but they are just the beginning of what we must do. President Obama cannot fix America’s immigration system on his own. He needs partners in Congress to pass reforms that will support immigrant families and strengthen the American economy.

On Labor Day 2011, I’m reminded that America is an ongoing story and that we have not reached the final chapter. On this day, as we celebrate the contributions workers have made to the strength and prosperity of our nation, we need to remind ourselves that immigrants played — and will continue to play — a critical role in that story.

Hilda L. Solis is the U.S. Secretary of Labor.

Source: From DeseretNews.com, “Immigration reform is imperative to a vibrant economic future” by Hilda L. Solis, 2 Sept 2011.

Editorial: Santa Cruz Sentinel

This is what happens when the federal government doesn’t govern.

In this case, the problem isn’t our nation’s debt, budget deficit and spending priorities, but the long ignored issue of illegal immigration.

In the absence of federal immigration reform — dead in the water since a bipartisan compromise fell apart back in 2007 — and any push by the president or Congress, many border states are taking up the task.

Arizona’s draconian law that requires individuals to show proof they’re in this country legally has gotten most of the attention, but other states, including California, have put together piecemeal legislation. In Georgia, for instance, a new law has given local police specific authority to enforce existing immigration law — and also targets anyone giving illegal immigrants help, including employment.

The law has been decried by the state’s agricultural and restaurant industries, which, face it, rely on workers with questionable legal status.

The same holds in many states in this country.

That’s why it was hardly startling to read a new report from the respected Public Policy Institute of California detailing the size and scope of the illegal immigrant population in the state.

The PPIC study reports that more than 8 percent of the population in Santa Cruz County is here illegally, or more than 21,000 people. Since the Pajaro Valley is primarily agricultural, this figure is not surprising — it’s obvious a certain percentage of fieldworkers are here without proper documentation. In addition, the population of Watsonville has nearly doubled in the past three decades — and may have grown even more if, as seems likely, people here illegally aren’t counted.

While the figures are high for our county, they’re even more so for Monterey County, where the Salinas Valley provides some of the most productive farmland in the country. In Monterey County and neighboring San Benito County, the PPIC study reports, 13.5 percent of the overall population is in the United States illegally — 62,000 men, women and children. In Los Angeles County, nearly a million people are without legal papers.

These numbers remain high even though fewer people are crossing the border illegally from Mexico. With the recession in the U.S., fewer jobs are available and the numbers have dropped to levels not seen in decades.

The supply of ag jobs remains constant, and immigration experts have estimated about 70 percent of the workforce on farms in California is here illegally. That’s why most farmers and ranchers want federal legislation that would provide worker visas for laborers. But legislation giving legal status to farmworkers with a path to citizenship has gone nowhere in Congress, amid fierce opposition to any form of amnesty for people who came without proper documentation. Even the federal DREAM Act — which would give undocumented students a chance to become legal citizens if they came to the U.S. as children, are long-term U.S. residents, demonstrate good moral character, and complete two years of college or military service in good standing — has repeatedly stalled.

The ag industry instead is having to deal with a bill sponsored by a Texas Republican congressman that would set up an electronic verification system for farm employees. Industry leaders have said the E-Verify system would be devastating to farmers and consumers.

Deporting millions of people who came to California to do jobs most Americans simply don’t want to do is economically absurd. With illegal border crossings down and security improved, the biggest issue is what happens to these people?

This is the responsibility of Congress and the president — and the fact that no one wants to touch it is disgraceful.

Source: SantaCruzSentinel.com, “As We See It: Immigration reform: Out of sight, out of mind” 4 Aug 2011.

Source: DairyHerd.com, “NMPF endorses Senate bill addressing immigration laws, dairy workforce” 23 Jun 2011.

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), joined with Senators Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), John Kerry (D-Mass.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to reintroduce a comprehensive immigration reform bill aimed at addressing the broken immigration system with tough, smart, and fair measures.

The bill includes measures to strengthen border security, enhance worksite enforcement of immigration laws, and requirements that the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants present in the U.S. register with the government, pay their taxes, learn English, pay a fine, pass a background check, and wait in line for permanent residence.

“Effective reform of our immigration system will only come about as the result of a good-faith bipartisan effort, and this legislation is a very strong starting point for that process,” said Leahy. “But one thing we should all support is a civil debate about how best to update our immigration laws to curb the tide of illegal immigration, continue to strengthen our borders, and create a system that works best for America.”

“This legislation signals to the American people that we are serious about fixing our broken immigration system,” said Menendez. “We stand for a complete solution – a real solution – to end undocumented immigration and restore the rule of law. This is common-sense legislation that addresses the realities of the situation, stops the flow across our borders, and contributes to our economic recovery. If we can put political grandstanding aside and come together on a comprehensive, pragmatic bill like this one, we can bring resolution to a great national need.”

“Today we are living with a broken immigration system that weakens our national security, hurts our workers, and falls short of the most basic standard of justice,” Durbin said. “To fix this system, we need a comprehensive approach that is tough, fair, and practical. Senator Menendez has drafted a good bill and I’m proud to support it.”

The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2011 includes several key priorities for Leahy, including the long-pending “AgJOBS” proposal, including an explicit designation of the dairy industry as eligible for H-2A visas; a permanent extension of the EB-5 Regional Center Program, a longtime priority of Leahy; the DREAM Act; the Leahy-authored Uniting American Families Act; and sections of the Refugee Protection Act, which Leahy introduced earlier this month.

The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2011 includes both a mandatory employment verification system and a program to require undocumented immigrants in the U.S. as of June 1, 2011, to register with the government, learn English, and pay fines and taxes on their way to becoming Americans.

The bill promotes effective and accountable enforcement within the U.S. through measures such as: additional resources for the Border Patrol; expanded penalties for passport and document fraud; new requirements for the Department of Homeland Security to track entries and exits at the border; common-sense rules governing detention to ensure U.S. citizens are not unlawfully detained; and new criminal penalties for fraud and misuse of Social Security numbers.

A Standing Commission on Immigration, Labor Markets, and the National interest would be created as part of the bill to evaluate labor market and economic conditions and recommend quotas for employment-based visa programs to the Congress that would protect American jobs.

Source: TheStateColumn.com, “Sen. Leahy Reintroduces Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill” 23 Jun 2011.

(Photo: Getty Images)

The White House is focusing on punishing those who hire illegal immigrants, rather than the workers themselves.

President Obama has mostly given up on the flashy, media-friendly raids on workplaces that were popular with his predecessor and often rounded up hundreds of illegal workers for deportation. Instead, he is choosing to focus more on punishing those who hire the illegal immigrants in the first place. As a result, even as the number of criminal cases against illegal immigrant workers declined, the number of employers facing problems with the law has been increasing, reports the New York Times.

The piece cites as an example the recent coordinated raid on 14 Chuy’s restaurants, where 42 illegal immigrants were caught but only one was charged with an unrelated crime while 13 were processed for immigration violations. Significantly, “the only criminal defendants were the owners … and an accountant,” details the Times.

The NYT story seems to be part of an effort by the White House to push back against those who criticize the president’s record on immigration at a time when he has launched an improbable bid for a two-pronged effort at immigration reform that includes border security as well as some sort of amnesty for those who qualify. And there have been no shortage of critics. On one side, Republicans criticize the administration for the declining number of arrests of illegal workers, insisting that should be a particular focus at a time of high unemployment. Yet the Obama administration insists it is carrying out more investigations than ever before, and issued record fines, showing how the issue is being tackled despite the lack of raids.

Republicans aren’t Obama’s only problem though. The president is also facing criticism from some of his closest Democratic allies on the issue, as the Miami Herald’s Andres Oppenheimer detailed in his column Saturday. Hispanic Democrats are increasingly saying that Obama hasn’t done enough on the issue, and besides his talk of fighting for comprehensive immigration reform, he hasn’t done enough to stop mass deportations. Indeed, Obama “is on track to deport more illegal immigrants than any U.S. president since Dwight D. Eisenhower and ‘Operation Wetback’ in 1954,” columnist Ruben Navarrette Jr. wrote earlier this month, noting that while 1 million people were removed from the country then, the Obama administration has “deported about 800,000 people in its first two years.” Hispanic lawmakers aren’t the only ones who have been criticizing the president on this issue. In an editorial earlier this month, the New York Times accused Obama of trying to have it both ways by talking “of supporting the hopes of the undocumented” while his “administration has been doubling down on the failed strategy of mass expulsion.”

Instead of kicking the can to Congress, which is a dead end since the White House knows Republicans will never give him the votes for any type of comprehensive immigration reform in the House, Democrats insist Obama should use more of his discretionary powers. At the very least he could delay the deportation of those who would qualify for the Dream Act, which would allow those who were brought to the United States as children to stay if they graduate high school and want to enter college or the military.

Source: Slatest.Slate.com, “Obama Increasingly Targets Employers of Illegals” by Daniel Politi, 30 May 2011.

You would think that the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee would have better things to do than respond to every column that mentions him.

Apparently not. After I wrote recently that Republicans weren’t really serious about enforcing immigration laws because they’re too afraid to go after employers, many of whom write checks to Republican candidates at election time, Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, fired off a response to each of the newspapers that run my column. Just as he did the last time I mentioned him. And the time before that.

Smith has the right to defend himself. But he doesn’t have the right to create his own reality. And that’s what he is trying to do.

In his most recent letter, Smith accused the Obama administration of “not enforcing the immigration laws on the books.”

This will come as news to the more than 800,000 people who have been deported since Barack Obama took office, at the rate of about 1,000 per day. Just as it will to the hundreds of thousands of employers who have been pressured by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to fire illegal immigrant workers. With a record like this, it’s absurd for anyone to accuse the administration of going soft on immigration enforcement.

Yet, on this issue, the Texas congressman has mastered absurdity.

As when Smith wrote to editors that illegal immigrants “take jobs from lawful workers.”

Someone should check the expiration date on that carton of milk. How many Americans do you know who complain that it was their life’s dream to pick strawberries, or tar roofs, or clean horse stalls, or do some other hard and dirty job but, darn it, an illegal immigrant got there first?

Or when Smith suggested that “the mass amnesty” of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act only “encouraged” more illegal immigration.

If he spoke to more immigrants, he’d know that there is only one thing that encourages them to leave their family and friends and trek north: jobs. And they come courtesy of the folks that Republicans consider untouchable: employers.

Or when Smith claimed that he supports “pro-enforcement policies” and that Republicans are “serious about securing the border and limiting illegal immigration.”

If Republicans were serious, they would listen to the U.S. Border Patrol, the experts on border security. I’ve toured the border many times, and discussed enforcement strategies with agents and supervisors. What I heard was that many Border Patrol agents think the enforcement emphasis should be on employers and that fences or walls are feel-good gimmicks that don’t do much good.

One top official at the agency told me that he’d rather have high-quality surveillance equipment, tunnel-detection capability and improved roadways so agents could patrol the border more effectively. I don’t see Republicans providing any of this.

Or when Smith — in speaking to The Associated Press — described the Dream Act, which would give undocumented immigrants who attend college or enlist in the military a shot at legal status, as “amnesty for up to 2 million people.”

There’s the A-word again. Amnesty is something for nothing, while the Dream Act is — by definition — something for something.

But the most absurd part of Smith’s approach to the immigration debate is that he is putting all his chips on E-Verify, the government-run program that allows employers to electronically verify the Social Security numbers provided by workers. The system doesn’t tell employers if someone is eligible to work, or if a worker is using someone else’s Social Security number. It only tells them if the number is real.

Smith wants to change the program from voluntary to mandatory, and call it a day. Go ahead. A lot of good it will do. The fatal flaw with E-Verify is that it’s not open to the one group that employs most illegal immigrants: American homeowners.

Earlier this year, Texas state Rep. Debbie Riddle — a Republican — admitted as much when she proposed a laughingstock of a bill that created penalties for employers of illegal immigrants but exempted anyone who hires laborers to do “work to be performed exclusively or primarily at a single-family residence.” Riddle defended the exemption because homeowners don’t have access to E-Verify. At least she was honest.

Which is more than I can say for how Lamar Smith approaches the immigration issue.

Source: VCStar.com, Ventura County Star, “Navarrette: Congressman’s unreality show” by Ruben Navarrette, 28 May 2011.

Arizona E-Verify Law & Supreme Court Decision: A Dagger in the Heart of American Agriculture
In Absence of Federal Immigration Reform, Mandatory E-Verify Will Deport Farms and Jobs, Hurt Americans

Washington – Yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling to uphold Arizona’s law requiring state businesses use the E-Verify system strikes a crushing blow to the Arizona agriculture industry. If other states follow Arizona’s lead, or if Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) gets his wish and rams through a mandatory E-Verify law this summer, it will be the beginning of the end for American farms, domestic food sources, and related jobs held by Americans in production, processing, transportation, and marketing.

According to Lynn Tramonte, Deputy Director of America’s Voice Education Fund, “Yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling is a dagger in the heart of Arizona agriculture. If this type of law spreads nationwide, we will essentially deport the entire agriculture industry—including jobs held by Americans—and be forced to import more of our nation’s food supply. Passing a mandatory E-Verify law without comprehensive immigration reform will kill American jobs and farms, burden small businesses, reduce tax revenue, and drive undocumented workers further underground. This is a dangerous approach, particularly when there is a better plan on the table that would level the playing field for workers and employers and expand tax revenues. Instead of passing a law that would harm whole industries and fail to fix the problems with our broken immigration system, Congress should pass real immigration reform like AgJOBs, the DREAM Act, and comprehensive immigration reform.”

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack captured what’s at stake for the American agriculture industry in an op-ed today in the Lincoln Journal-Star, writing, “The truth is that even when farmers make their best efforts to recruit a domestic work force, few citizens express interest, and even fewer show up to spend long hours laboring in the hot sun. Simply put, our broken immigration system offers little hope for producers trying to do right and make a living…Our nation’s farmers need a system that will reward them for playing by the rules – not punish them for it. We need to stop threatening the competitiveness of our agriculture economy with broken immigration policies. When we pursue comprehensive reform a 21st century immigration system, not only will we help America’s farmers and ranchers maintain successful operations with a reliable work force they hire legally, we will ensure that all Americans enjoy the benefits of a safe, affordable and abundant food supply that has helped make us so prosperous today.”

As the Los Angeles Times editorialized, “The problem with the Arizona statute is not that it penalizes employers who break the law. Businesses that hire undocumented immigrants should face fines or sanctions, as called for under current federal law (although many would disagree with the court’s conclusion that states may impose such penalties). The problem is that the law relies on E-Verify, which isn’t ready for prime time. Thursday’s decision should put Washington on notice that in the absence of a federal solution, states will step in to fill the void.”

For more information on the unintended consequences of E-Verify and its potential impact on the American agriculture industry:

Congressional Testimony: Each American Agriculture Job Generates 3 Jobs Upstream or Downstream: 
http://agriculture.house.gov/testimony/110/110-30.pdf

Business Leaders Speak Out Against Mandatory E-Verify: 
http://www.nilc.org/immsemplymnt/ircaempverif/e-verify-business-quotes-2011-05-07.pdf

America’s Voice Education Fund — Harnessing the power of American voices and American values to win common sense immigration reform.

http://www.americasvoiceonline.org

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Source: TucsonCitizen.com, America’s Voice Education Fund Online, “Supreme Court decision could harm Arizona agriculture” 27 May 2011.

Photo: Immigration Reform

Cecilia Muñoz is Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs for the Obama Administration.

Following the President Obama’s speech on immigration reform in El Paso, Texas, I asked for your feedback on this issue through our Advise the Advisor program. We received thousands of responses from across the country to the following questions:

Immigration and American Competitiveness: How can immigration reform support America’s competitiveness in a 21st century economy?
Biggest Challenges to Reform: What do you think are the biggest challenges to reforming America’s immigration system?
Encouraging Bipartisan Debate:What are some ways you can get a discussion going in your communities to encourage a bipartisan debate and move this issue forward?
A team at the White House reviewed all of your comments and ideas and below we’ve summarized and responded to some of what we heard from you.

Enforcement of Current Laws

We heard from many people who disagreed with the premise that we needed immigration reform or changes to our immigration laws.  They argued that we need better enforcement of our current laws and more accountability for undocumented immigrants and the employers that hire them.

For example, Robert from Torrance, California said:

First we need to honor the immigration laws that already exists.  The problem stems from a lack of enforcement, not a lack of new regulations.  Simply, immigrants have always been welcome and have always contributed.

It’s absolutely worth focusing on the best ways to enforce the laws that we have; that’s why the President traveled to El Paso, Texas, which is on the border with Mexico. This Administration takes its enforcement role very seriously, and is working to do the smartest and most strategic job that we can at the border and in the interior, and we are measuring our impact and making adjustments as the data comes in to make sure we are getting it right.  On the Department of Homeland Security website you’ll find information to show how we’re doing on the border and information on our interior enforcement strategy.  But in the end, we will not be able to fix what’s broken about our immigration system by enforcement alone. There are more than ten million unauthorized immigrants living and working in the United States, and a strategy aimed at removing them all cannot be successful.  Nor will enforcement fix the deficiencies in our legal immigration system, which separates families, undercuts us economically, and contributes to illegal immigration. To fix those problems, we need to reform the law.

Competing in the 21st Century Economy

Many respondents agreed that we need to reform our immigration system to make it easier for highly skilled workers to join the workforce in the United States. Duraikumar from Morrisville, North Carolina said:

To compete in the 21st century, the century of knowledge, America needs more skilled people. The available skilled force is not enough to remain competitive….Everybody knows that the current immigration system is broken. We need to reform the immigration system to bring more skilled immigrants to support America’s competitiveness in a 21st century economy.

Our immigration system was last reformed in the mid- 1990s, when cellphones and the internet were emerging technologies. Those reforms were based on the premise that allowing even a limited number of immigrants to the country might mean fewer jobs for Americans.  As the President and his team work with CEOs and other business leaders around the country on a range of economic issues, the immigration issue comes up over and over again because it is essential to our ability to create jobs in the sectors of the economy that are ripe for economic growth. CEO after CEO tells us about foreign-born employees on their teams without whom we would lose hundreds of jobs, and about people they would like to hire – who have been trained at our finest universities, but who cannot get permission to stay and work in the U.S., so they instead become our competition. If they are lucky and get a visa, our laws are often too restrictive to allow their spouses to live and work here, so other countries can lure them away.  As the President said in El Paso, we don’t want the next Google or Facebook to be started in India or China, we want it started here in the United States.  And we need laws that make this possible.

Undocumented Immigrants

We also heard from many of you about how we should deal with the ten million undocumented immigrants in the United States.  Some respondents were concerned that allowing undocumented immigrants to stay in the country rewards illegal activity while others recognized the contributions that undocumented workers make to our economy. Jeff from Colorado told us:

While I am in favor of giving all current illegals citizenship for the benefit of actually collecting taxes, it would look like we are rewarding illegal behavior.  We need their tax dollars and manpower to stay competitive.

This is a fair point; and it’s reasonable to say that we shouldn’t reward people who are here in violation of the law. But it’s also true that we are unlikely to succeed in removing all ten million of them, and it’s not in our interest for them to remain in the U.S. working in the underground economy, where they can undercut U.S. workers because they fear standing up to employers who offer substandard wages and working conditions.  President Obama believes that the right way to address this problem is to require accountability all across the board. Those of us in the federal government are accountable for enforcing the law wisely and well.  Businesses should be accountable for the people that they hire, and those here illegally should be held accountable for getting on the right side of the law, paying a fine, learning English, paying taxes, and getting in line behind those who are waiting to become immigrants and citizens.

DREAM ACT

The DREAM Act was also a popular topic in your responses, with many respondents expressing support for this legislation.  Sandra from Wisconsin said:

Undocumented immigrants are already contributing to our economy. Immigration reform allows them to live openly as legal residents and make a greater investment as consumers. The DREAM Act prepares immigrant youth to take on future leadership roles by providing them with the necessary education.

One of our biggest disappointments in the last Congress is that, though the DREAM Act passed the House for the first time ever and it got 55 votes in the Senate which, though a majority, was not enough to break the filibuster raised against it. The thing about the DREAM Act is that the students that it would affect never chose to come to this country illegally; they were brought by their parents when they were too young to make the choice for themselves. They have grown up here, have succeeded in school, and are eager to continue their studies or serve their country – this country – in the military. We can’t afford to waste that kind of talent and commitment, which is why we were glad to see the DREAM Act reintroduced in the Senate in mid-May. We will keep working on this until we get it done.

Lack of Public Understanding

When it comes to the biggest challenges facing immigration reform, many people cited a lack of understanding by the general public and politicians in Washington about the importance of immigration reform. Robert from Athens, Georgia said:

The average U. S. citizen has no idea of the complexities involved in the U. S. work visa and permanent residency systems. They don’t understand how the system separates families, creates uncertainties and day-to-day difficulties in living and working in the U. S.  Educating U. S. citizens as to WHY the system is broken and how that is affecting human lives is critical.

Immigration is a complicated issue and because it gets to the heart of who we are, as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants, the debate can get emotional very quickly, which means there is often a lot of heat and not a lot of light. This is why we value your input, and why the President asked people around the country to help him lift up the issue, by engaging their communities in a civil debate about the best way to move this issue forward. There are a lot of people with good stories to tell and strong cases to make about the impact of immigrants in their communities.  We have developed a toolkit and a place for you to give us feedback so that you can host conversations in your communities and tell us what you learned and what we need to know. We believe that Americans are interested in informed dialogue instead of shouting matches, and we hope that many of you take up the President’s call to action.

Challenges to Immigration Reform

Reforming our immigration system will not be an easy task, and we asked you to tell us what you see as the biggest challenges to reform.  Jaques from Secaucus, New Jersey made an excellent point:

Our biggest challenge is to take the politics out of the discussion. If our representatives can forget their party affiliation and begin to think of what is really best for our country progress can be made.  Fences and ditches alone will not stop the flow of the illegal. Investing in employment reforms and development in those underdeveloped countries will be the less costly and more effective solution in the long run

.

We couldn’t agree with you more. Immigration reform laws going back throughout our history have always been bipartisan approaches to challenging problems, and that’s what we need to have here.  What we hope to achieve with the President’s call to action is a civil conversation on how to fix this problem that shows the Congress that there is room for bipartisanship and a sense of urgency toward finding a solution. America is at its best when we find ways to work together, and while this issue can be difficult, we think there is a real answer within our reach if we’re willing to work together.

Nora from South Plains, New Jersey said:

There is no system that will please everyone nor be the end-all solution. However, to do nothing and ignore the plight of so many is short-sighted. We cannot compare recent and current trends to those of previous generations.

President Obama has said on many occasions that we can’t afford to just kick the can down the road because an issue is difficult. Immigration reform is difficult, and it will take hard work and compromise to get the job done. But this is something that we have to do, not only to honor our heritage as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants, but because it is an economic necessity. The Administration will do everything it can to bring Congressional partners to the table from both sides of the aisle to figure out where we can make progress; but as the President said in El Paso, we can’t do it alone. Your input is important, and so is your engagement in the debate. We need every possible pair of hands and every voice in order to get the job done.

Source: HispanicallySpeakingNews.com, “What You Told Us About Immigration Reform- The White House” by HS News Staff, 26 May 2011.

We’ve heard the right words before from leading Republicans as well as Democrats, including presidents from both parties: Congress must stop delaying and enact comprehensive immigration reform. And yet these tough-talking politicians predictably lose their intestinal fortitude as each new election cycle looms. Political expediency takes over, and other pressing business provides a convenient distraction.

It’s against that backdrop that this newspaper greeted President Barack Obama’s speech Tuesday in El Paso with a big dose of skepticism. The words sounded right, but we’ve heard this before from him, particularly when he was currying the Hispanic vote during his 2008 campaign.

It’s now 2011, with his re-election campaign looming, and suddenly comprehensive immigration reform is a front-burner issue again. Mere coincidence?

If Obama means what he says, he must begin marshaling the bipartisan support necessary in Congress to make immigration reform a reality. There may never be a better time.

Both parties recognize that the 2012 elections could pivot on the Hispanic vote.

Both also have well-organized pressure groups that want to see immigration reform passed. Republicans in the business community — restaurant chain owners, construction companies and other employers in labor-intensive industries — are clamoring for legal ways to employ low-cost migrant workers.

Like Obama — and President George W. Bush before him — this newspaper agrees that employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants should be held accountable and be punished. Any reform measure must include tough requirements to ensure that illegal immigrants are up to date on their taxes, pay fines for having violated the law and get in line to immigrate legally.

We also agree that significant reforms are needed to make it easier for those who have immigrated legally to stay legal, especially when they’re highly skilled migrants helping keep the nation’s high-technology firms internationally competitive.

Farms and other temporary employers need a guest-worker system that gives them easier and more predictable access to low-cost migrant labor.

And the DREAM Act should accompany this reform package to make it easier for the children of longtime-resident illegal immigrants to stay, study, work and serve in what, for many of them, is the only home they’ve known.

Yes, border security is an ongoing concern and should continue to be addressed as a top priority. But the border-security issue must not continue to be the excuse for congressional inaction on the bigger package of reforms. Both issues can and should be addressed simultaneously.

Our gut reaction is that Obama’s renewed enthusiasm for immigration reform is an early attempt to create a wedge issue and mobilize Hispanic voters toward his camp. But it’ll take much more than words to make comprehensive reform a reality. So, enthusiastic as we are about the concept, skeptics we remain.

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WHAT THIS NEWSPAPER SEEKS

— Tough penalties for businesses that employ illegal immigrants

— A flexible temporary worker program that admits laborers based on employers’ needs

— Expanded use of supplemental law enforcement options such as the Criminal Alien Program for immigrants who don’t comply

— A requirement that illegal immigrants pay back taxes, learn English and pay fines or perform national service to qualify for legalization

Source: DallasNews.com, “Editorial: Obama’s immigration talk lacks crucial element — action” 11 May 2011.

President Obama looks toward the U.S. border with Mexico during a visit to El Paso, Texas. (Charles Dharapak/AP Photo)

If anything at all is to happen on this politically thorny issue, President Obama will have to shape the debate by using the administrative powers of his office.

Since taking office, President Obama has repeatedly called on Congress to adopt comprehensive immigration reform. In a speech in Texas on Tuesday, he reiterated the reasons for bringing the 11 million undocumented immigrants already living and working in this country out of the shadows.

He explained that immigrants bring innovation and contribute to the economy. But as long as they remain illegal, their cheap labor suppresses wages for American workers. Undocumented workers become prey for unscrupulous employers who take advantage of them. The current system, the president noted, doesn’t work even for those seeking to enter the U.S. legally. Visa policies keep families separated, often for years, and discourage highly skilled workers and talented students from putting down roots.

Obama is absolutely right in his critique, and he’s right to call on Republicans to move beyond their enforcement-only rhetoric. But he must do more. Convening occasional meetings with advocates and urging bipartisan support for reform are not sufficient. If anything at all is to happen on this politically thorny issue, the president will have to shape the debate by using the administrative powers of his office.

He can begin by instructing the Department of Homeland Security to use prosecutorial discretion when deciding which immigrants will be hauled into the overburdened immigration court system. Cases involving immigrants who have been convicted of violent crimes should take priority over those with no criminal convictions. And the administration should help the undocumented spouses and relatives of U.S. citizens by allowing those who have applied for green cards to remain in the U.S. while their cases are reviewed.

Obama needs Congress to act as well. On Wednesday, Rep.Howard L. Berman (D-Valley Village) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) reintroduced the DREAM Act, which offers a conditional pathway to citizenship to young illegal immigrants who attend college or serve in the military. And Democrats are expected to reintroduce the Agriculture Job Opportunities, Benefits and Security Act. AgJOBS would allow certain undocumented farmworkers to legalize their immigration status if they can prove they have worked at least 150 days in the fields for the last two years. Both bills should be passed.

“The overwhelming majority of these folks are just trying to earn a living and provide for their families,” Obama said Tuesday. Now he must make it a priority to fix the deeply broken system.

Source: LATimes.com, The Los Angeles Times, Editorial, “Get moving on immigration reform,” 12 May 2011.