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Immigration Topics, Episode I: Aggravated Felonies

Gabe and I have decided to venture into English language podcasts. We’ve settled roughly on the title “Immigration Topics.”

Our hope is to develop a kind of immigration attorney “study group” that will focus on a given topic throughout the week, mostly as review. On Fridays we will publish a brief discussion of the week’s topic, along with corny jokes and a good time for all.

This week we decided to focus our attention on Aggravated Felonies, namely, what are they, and why are they bad news for your clients? You can listen to all the madness right HERE.

Next week we’ll be discussing Crimes Involving Moral Turpitude (CIMTs). Feel free to study along and chime in throughout the week with questions, comments, and overly aggressive criticism.

–Stephen

stephen@rhi-law.com

Odd Alliances and Odd Opponents: Why Both Supporters and Opponents of Reform Make Passage Likely

We’re over one week into the August Recess and with each passing day some kind of immigration reform is looking more and more likely. This is not to say reform advocates should sit back and count their eggs. Progress has only been gained because advocates have been persistent, and while recent comments from GOP lawmakers give us reason to hope, many Republican representatives remain entrenched in opposition. Fortunately, reform advocates have identified the house republicans who are ‘gettable’ and focused their time and resources accordingly, showing supporters are both persistent and efficient.

Moreover, supporters run the gamut of the political and social spectrum. Evangelicals, labor leaders, small business owners, high tech CEOs, law enforcement officers and nuns have swarmed town hall meetings and canvassed the country pushing for a bill that will recognize the human rights of immigrants, keep families intact, and improve the economy. With such a wide range of support, the prospect of reform is looking good.

Then again there are  plenty of Steve Kings in the country, although that might not be such a bad thing. The odd, offensive representative from Iowa, who consistently makes ridiculous remarks about immigrants and refuses to apologize, has quickly become the face of the opposition. And if Steve King is the face of the opposition, the opposition is becoming less attractive with every offensive analogy he makes. According to Frank Sharry, the reform champion who directs  the advocacy group America’s voice, Steve King may be doing more to advance reform than any GOP rep in the house.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2013/08/11/advocates-for-immigration-reform-swarm-house-republicans/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/08/12/bipartisan-support-immigration-reform-mounts-during-august-recess

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-immigration-money-20130811,0,2010995.story

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-sharry/how-steve-king-became-an-_b_3733872.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/08/12/a-bit-more-movement-on-immigration-reform/

This Week in Immigration Reform: Hope?

August 3rd marked the beginning of a congressional recess.  The month long recess will allow the House of Representatives to take a break from sitting on the Senate immigration bill for five weeks without any movement to speak of.  However, representatives are no doubt working hard and will spend the recess actively engaging their constituents to get a sense of how they should vote on the bill.  While the inactivity of the House on this issue may be disconcerting, there are reasons to be optimistic if we spend the month influencing our representatives to support reform.

If we speak our representatives will listen. House immigration champion Luis Gutierrez recently said, “Members [of Congress] go home and they go to town hall meetings and they check up on their offices in terms of phone calls and letters, and that’s where they get bombarded. So Republicans who are for immigration reform — and I believe there are many — we need to make our voice known in August.”  The articles below indicate that reform supporters are already beginning to mobilize throughout the country.  Moreover, the articles show that major GOP donors are pushing the party to support reform and some House Republicans are beginning to soften their positions on a path to citizenship.  Although, the news is mostly positive, a positive outcome depends on our action.  Hopefully we get the word out during the August recess, and our representatives return to Washington in September ready to work.

http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/07/31/why-immigration-reformers-need-to-kick-ass-in-august/

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/01/immigration-reform-advocates-foes-to-target-house-gop-during-recess.html

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2013/07/31/immigration-activists-plan-major-grassroots-efforts-in-lawmakers-districts/

http://www.talkradionews.com/audio/2013/08/01/immigrant-advocates-give-lawmakers-something-to-think-about-over-recess.html#.UgFHlKW7cVs

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/314239-top-gop-donors-press-lawmakers-to-act-on-immigration-reform-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/08/06/what-if-the-big-conservative-backlash-to-immigration-reform-never-materializes/

http://www.agweb.com/article/congressional_august_recess_critical_for_immigration_and_farm_bill_prospects/

Receso-El Tiempo para Trabajar

Receso-El Tiempo para Trabajar

El Congreso comienza su receso anual 3 de agosto. A diferencia de los recesos de la escuela primaria, nuestros representantes no consideran el receso una oportunidad para descansar de sus horarios apretados en Washington. Mas bien, el receso del Congreso les da la oportunidad a los representantes de volver a sus distritos y hablar con sus constituyentes.

A principio del verano,  defensores de la reforma migratoria esperaban que la ley se aprobaría antes del receso de agosto, y a lo mejor esa perspectiva parecía mas probable cuando el Senado aprobó su propuesta bipartidista con 68 votos. Desafortunadamente, a pesar de la sensatez objetiva de la propuesta, y el hecho que los Americanos apoyan el camino hacia la ciudadanía (un 88% según una encuesta de Gallup), la Cámara de Representantes se ha hecho un gran obstáculo, bloqueando la voluntad del pueblo estadounidense.

Afortunadamente, durante el receso de agosto los electores que apoyan la reforma migratoria tendrán la oportunidad de contar a sus representantes lo que creen. Durante el mes que viene tendremos la oportunidad de levantar nuestras voces. Los adversarios a la reforma ya se han movilizado. Debemos organizarnos mejor, y hablar con voz aun mas alta que los adversarios.  Según el ex representante Mark Kennedy, “Los defensores de la reforma de inmigración están en el camino a la victoria, pero con el fin de cruzar la línea de meta deben tener un plan para ganar agosto y el coraje de atenerse a ella.”

Recess-The Time to Work

On August 3rd Congress begins its annual August recess, but unlike the recess many of us remember from elementary school, our representatives don’t look forward to August as a reprieve from their busy schedules in Washington. Instead the August recess gives representatives a chance to return home to their districts and speak with their constituents.

At the beginning of the summer supporters of comprehensive immigration reform hoped a bill would pass before the month-long recess, and perhaps that prospect seemed more likely when the Senate passed it’s bipartisan proposal with 68 votes. Unfortunately, regardless of the objective reasonableness of the Senate bill, and the fact that the American people overwhelming support  a path to citizenship (88% according to a recent Gallup poll), the House has become a large hurdle blocking the will of the american people.

Fortunately, during the August recess the large majority of Americans who support immigration reform will have an opportunity to tell their Representatives how they feel. Next month is our chance to let our voices be heard. Reform opponents have already mobilized.  We must be better organized, and louder. According to a former House Representative Mark Kennedy, “Supporters of immigration reform are on the path to victory, but in order to cross the finish line they must have a plan to win August and the courage to stick to it.”

The American People, Including Republican Voters, Strongly Support Immigration Reform

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/07/22/immigration-reform-will-be-won-or-lost-in-august/

What are we even talking about?

No one is pleased with the current immigration system.

Literally, no one.

Employers aren’t pleased with how long it takes to hire foreign workers, or with the lack of available visas to do so. Enforcement hawks and the Tea Party crowd aren’t pleased with unauthorized border crossings and document fraud that sometimes accompany unauthorized work. Families and friends of immigrants aren’t pleased when they find out that seemingly arbitrary rules, bars, limits, and procedures often separate loved ones for many years, sometimes permanently.

When debating health care policy,  there are those who say, “Do not touch the system that we have! It is the best health care in the world!” While you may disagree with them on the merits, at least the status quo has its defenders. The same cannot be said for immigration. Who could possibly stand by the system in place?

And so we’re forced to confront this problem, and to do so within the parameters of the really existing world. This means that fanciful, unimplementable ideas must be left by the way side. For example:

  • We’re not going to deport, or force “self-deportation” upon 11 million people. This is an idea that might exist within the headspace of certain politically or socially radical individuals, but again, we must deal with the real, actually existing world. Even if the dollars and infrastructure existed to arrest, detain, prosecute, and deport 11 million people, the practical implications would be untenable.
  • There will be no “amnesty.” Immigrants who have violated immigration laws will pay fines, wait in lines, and be subject to background checks. Not everyone will qualify for whatever status might be provided. Felons, repeat offenders, and those who present a “danger to society” will be deported.

And so many powerful interests must come to the table to negotiate, debate, compromise, and move steadily away from the universally-despised status quo. The Senate bill is not perfect. There are plenty of nose-scrunching provisions for both conservatives and progressives alike. But one thing is clear: it takes us incrementally towards a more fair and just system for all.

  • Undocumented immigrants will be forced to pay a fine for their immigration violations and be subjected to a background check. People pay fines and penalties all the time for their illegal behavior so they can get right with the law. The Senate bill would give undocumented immigrants the same chance.
  • The Senate bill recognizes that undocumented immigrants are more than just “illegals.” In fact, many industries depend on their hard, unappreciated work. It provides a pathway to legalization and citizenship for more than 7 million people, placing a premium on family unity and compassion.

The Senate bill is imperfect, and the House of Representatives has a perfect chance to make favorable adjustments and proposals of their own. Instead, they seem poised to take the one indefensible position in all of this, which is to embrace the status quo. The merits of any given proposal can be debated, nit-picked, dissected, and criticized, but there is no defense for doing nothing.

None.

Radio Inmigrante, Episodio 6

La semana pasada, tuvimos el gran placer de dar la bienvenida al congresista Luis Gutierrez aquí en la ciudad de Yakima, Washington. El congresista vino como parte de un tour apoyando la reforma migratoria comprensiva. La verdad es que dio un discurso muy bueno, y llenó el espacio con energía positiva. Ahora nos toca a nosotros seguir empujando y luchando para la reforma migratoria.

Muchas gracias a One America por organizar y coordinar el evento. Fue una maravilla.

En este episodio de Radio Inmigrante van a escuchar el discurso de Luis Gutierrez, y unas preguntas que le hice después de la junta. Se puede escuchar AQUÍ.

Radio Inmigrante también está disponible en iTunes. Por favor, ¡dejen un “review”!