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Legalization

Claudia M. Prado‐Meza

Claudia M. Prado‐Meza is a Ph.D. candidate at Iowa State University, focusing on sustaining rural communities in Mexico and outreach programs for Latino immigrants in Iowa.

Fremont in the spotlight

Published on Sun, May 30, 2010

The flurry of local legislation is adding to the pressure on Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform and avoid adding to a hodgepodge of laws regulating immigration.

“There is real frustration because our immigration system is broken,” said Michele Waslin of the Washington-based Immigration Policy Center. “But you also need to look at what this type of legislation says about you as a city.”

Published in the Omaha World Herald

IPC Director Mary Giovagnoli Quoted in Washington Post

Published on Wed, Mar 20, 2013

Mary Giovagnoli, the IPC's Director, was quoted in this article from the Washington Post:

“The immigration issue in a lot of ways I think is maturing in a way that simply takes time,” says Mary Giovagnoli, director of the Immigration Policy Center, who was a staffer for Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) during the 2006-07 debate. “There seems to be a much greater level of trust and cordiality. [The last time] the two sides were dragged kicking and screaming together.” A similar dynamic was at play with health-care reform—another major effort that had suffered from a spectacular defeat in Congress before finally passing. “Any major, major piece of social change is a long process,” Giovagnoli concludes.

Published in the Washington Post

In wake of Arizona Law, Labor Unites Behind Immigration Reform: Unions Stand to Gain Strength

Published on Mon, Jun 28, 2010

A January report by the liberal Center for American Progress and Immigration Policy Center noted that a large population of unauthorized immigrants — 10 to 12million, per most estimates — depresses wages for low-skilled jobs. Unscrupulous employers can hire and underpay unlawful workers, who have no ability to unionize or push back politically. In other words, the larger the undocumented population, the smaller the clout of organized labor.

Legalizing unlawful immigrants and ensuring the rights of all workers, the CAP and IPC study concluded, would “help American workers” by “rais[ing] the ‘wage floor’ for the entire U.S. economy.” Newly naturalized workers could also give unions a boost, particularly if they view them as allies early on.

Published in the New Mexico Independant

CBP Issue Page

Submitted by seth on Tue, Sep 25, 2012
Image: 

LAC works to expose unlawful immigration enforcement activity near the border.

Link: 
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Obama on Immigration: Faking Right?

Published on Tue, Jul 27, 2010

You don't have to be an evangelical Christian to realize that immigration reform is in the U.S.'s self-interest. According to a report earlier this year from the Campaign for American Progress and the American Immigration Council, an amnesty program affecting the more than 11 million undocumented people in the United States would add $1.5 trillion to the GDP over a decade. That's a lot more folks generating government revenue and keeping U.S. businesses afloat.

Published in the Huffington Post

“Admission” and Adjustment of Status

The LAC has filed amicus briefs addressing when adjustment of status constitutes an “admission” under the Immigration and Nationality Act. The INA defines the terms “admitted” and “admission” as the lawful entry of a noncitizen following inspection and authorization by an immigration officer. However, the Board has held that adjustment of status from within the United States also constitutes an “admission.” The issue has arisen in cases involving the attempted removal of noncitizens for the commission of certain crimes within five years after “the date of admission,” and in cases involving waivers of admissibility under Section 212(h) of the INA, which in some circumstances are unavailable to noncitizens who have previously been “admitted to the United States as an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence.”

CASES

Board of Immigration Appeals

Matter of Alyazji, (BIA amicus brief submitted Jan. 21, 2010).  In a precedent decision, Matter of Alyazji, 25 I&N Dec. 397 (BIA 2011), the Board partially overruled Matter of Shanu, 23 I&N Dec. 754 (BIA 2005), and held that, consistent with the LAC’s position, the “date of admission” in INA § 237(a)(2)(A)(i) applies to the date of the admission by virtue of which an individual was present in the U.S. at the time the crime was committed.   

Third, Fourth, Seventh CircuitsRead more...

Anti-Immigration Groups Demand End to ‘De Facto Amnesty’

Published on Wed, Aug 25, 2010

Because ICE officials already said the memo should not be official policy and denied plans for mass amnesty, it’s unclear what the groups hope to accomplish. If anything, immigrants’ rights groups argue the Obama administration has been too harsh on illegal immigration. Mary Giovagnoli of the Immigration Policy Center, argued in June the issue is a “right-wing conspiracy theory” and that no amnesty plans have been pushed by the administration or Congress.

Published in the The Washington Independent

State Representative Launches ‘Anchor Baby’ Task Force

Published on Tue, Oct 19, 2010

Wendy Sefsaf, communications director for the American Immigration Council, said there is no proof illegal immigrants come here to have children, only anecdotal stories in articles and newspapers.

“There’s no absolute proof someone would come here and have a baby,” said Ms. Sefsaf. “That baby couldn’t do anything for you until it’s 21 years old, and then sponsor you for permanent residence which could take 10 to 20 years. It’s an imagined problem.”

Ms. Sefsaf also questioned Mr. Metcalfe’s claim the 14th Amendment is being “misapplied” because the original debates around the amendment talked about both rights for African-Americans and for Chinese immigrants.

“It was very purposely passed and set up to take into account both African-Americans and immigrants,” she said. “It’s being applied exactly as it was intended.”

She said illegal immigrants primarily come to the United States for economic reasons, not to have children here.

“It’s almost invariably for economic reasons. We do have a broken immigration system, and we do need to address it comprehensively and fix it, but these patchwork solutions don’t get us anywhere near where we need to be to fix the system,” said Ms. Sefsaf.

Published in the Pennsylvania Independent