Legalization

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Kan. plan roils debate in immigration guru's state

Published on Wed, Feb 01, 2012

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - An architect of state and local laws cracking down on illegal immigration is a leading Republican officeholder in Kansas, but business groups in his home state are asking legislators to move in the opposite direction by starting an unusual program designed to give illegal immigrants hard-to-fill jobs.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a former law professor who helped draft tough laws against illegal immigration in Alabama and Arizona, criticized the new Kansas proposal Tuesday as "amnesty" for people who've come to the U.S. illegally. A spokeswoman said Gov. Sam Brownback, a fellow Republican, isn't supporting the measure.

But Brownback's agriculture secretary has acknowledged having several conversations with federal homeland security officials about potential labor shortages. The coalition pushing the new program includes agriculture groups with memberships that traditionally lean toward the GOP, as well as the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, another stalwart supporter of conservative Republicans.

Utah has a guest worker program, but it isn't set to start until January 2013, and its enactment was part of a legislative package that included initiatives in line with Kobach's thinking on immigration. States with large populations of illegal immigrants- including California, Florida and Texas- don't have their own programs.

It would be "unprecedented" if Kansas implemented the program proposed by its business groups, said Wendy Sefsaf, spokeswoman for the Washington-based Immigration Policy Center. She said she is skeptical that the federal government would allow such a program, though she's sympathetic toward its goals.

"Maybe it's a good thing to have a counterbalance to Kris Kobach," she said.Read more...

Published in the Associated Press

New York Immigration Achievement Awards

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Quick Fact: The importance of unauthorized immigrants in California

If all of the unauthorized immigrants in California were removed, the state would lose $301.6 billion in economic activity, decrease total employment by 17.4%, and eliminate 3.6 million jobs.

Facts? Or Factors

Published on Wed, Apr 25, 2012

I have a dear friend who disagrees with me about the immigration issue -- she's a fence-sitter mostly, not sure that the state should or should not be passing legislation restricting access of undocumented immigrants to public services.

"I've got to think and pray about it more, and I'm not sure I know enough about the issue," she told me this morning.

I applaud her candor, and her willingness to suspend judgment until she has all the facts.

Unfortunately, facts have very little to do with the issue. Read more...

Published in the Huffington Post

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Remember those people who are or who have influenced your life by paying tribute to them. A tribute donation to the American Immigration Council provides a meaningful way to remember or recognize those who have made a significant impact on you, your family or your colleagues.

A tribute donation can be made in honor or in memory of someone. For each tribute, we will notify the honored individual or family of your special gift, keeping the amount confidential.

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If you have any questions at all regarding giving a contribution to the American Immigration Council, please contact Megan Hess at (202)507-7517 or [email protected].

Time to stop overgeneralizing about immigrants

Published on Wed, Jul 11, 2012

IPC's senior policy analyst Michele Waslin was quoted in a Washington Post article about the complexity of immigration law and the dangers of overgeneralizing:

"The confusion with the military aspect has been troubling these last couple of weeks because so many people get it wrong. It really shows the need for education on how immigration rules really work," said Michele Waslin, the senior policy analyst at the Washington, D.C.-based Immigration Policy Center. "Immigration law is really, really complex and people think you're either legal or you're not, even though there are lots of different types of statuses." Read more...

Published in the The Washington Post

International Exchange Center Programs

INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE CENTER PROGRAMS

The J-1 Visa: Changing America, Changing the World

The Role of the J-1 Trainee/Intern

Interns and Trainees

The Department of State's J-1 Visa Basics

THE J-1 VISA: CHANGING AMERICA, CHANGING THE WORLD

A quick look at the news headlines of the day shout out that the time to talk about social and economic change is past, and we have entered an unprecedented call for action. Record flood stages in North Dakota, and record low levels of summer ice in the arctic speak loudly of climate change. A global economic crisis tells us how closely interrelated the world has become. $4/gallon gasoline last year pushed more Americans into poverty. American universities report declining numbers of foreign students as Canada, Australia, the UK, and even China increasingly attract the best and the brightest that formerly came to the US for education. The same universities report the lack of preparedness among US students to compete with the world in the fields of math and science. To meet the economic and social challenges of today, we need the best creative mix of talent from around the world. U.S. immigration attorneys are on the front line of making sure America has that creative mix.Read more...

IPC Cited in White House Fact Sheet on the Economic Need for Immigration Reform

Published on Tue, Mar 19, 2013

A 2012 report by the IPC was recently cited in a White House fact sheet pointing out the economic need for comprehensive immigration reform:

"According to the 2010 American Community Survey, immigrants earned a total of $1.1 trillion, and the Immigration Policy Center estimates that the purchasing power of Latinos and Asians, many of whom are immigrants, alone will reach $1.5 trillion and $775 billion, respectively, by 2015."

Published in the White House