2013+Immigration+Reform

=2013 Immigration Reform=

//This is also a national Speak Out discussion. If you post to the national discussion, copy your message and post it here for double credit up to 10 points for this discussion. Please be sure to add the note to your message on this board that you also posted it to the national discussion. Remember, there is a delay between posting to the national discussion and seeing your post as all posts are edited for content.//


 * Here is a link to the national discussion**: Speak Out Immigration Reform.


 * //As a nation of immigrants, what do you think the U.S. should do about immigration both legal and illegal? Do you have any family stories to share about your family's arrival in the United States?//**

__Here is the background given on the Speak Out Page__- = = =How should the U.S. overhaul its immigration system?= Feb. 1, 2013 //**By Jeremy Quattlebaum, Student Voices staff writer**// “Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity, until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country.”

President Obama’s inauguration speech marked the end of a nearly 10-year silence on immigration reform. Echoing the president’s remarks, members of Congress from both parties seem eager to make immigration reform a top priority. Politics have prevented much from being accomplished in the past. But the nation’s swiftly changing demographics were clear in the 2012 presidential election. Exit polls indicated that Latino voters overwhelmingly supported Obama over Mitt Romney, who had advocated a policy that amounted to forcing undocumented immigrants to deport themselves. Both political parties took notice. Labeled the Gang of Eight, a bipartisan group of senators has started negotiating a plan that would overhaul the immigration process. The exact details have not been agreed upon, but one of the core principles is strengthening border security before creating a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.

“I’ve always been for” immigration reform, said Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), a member of the Gang of Eight, “but I’ve always been concerned about border security, I think with good reason.”

The senators, in a press release, proposed “Four Basic Legislative Pillars”:
 * “Create a tough but fair path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants currently living in the United States that is contingent upon securing our borders and tracking whether legal immigrants have left the country when required;
 * Reform our legal immigration system to better recognize the importance of characteristics that will help build the American economy and strengthen American families;
 * Create an effective employment verification system that will prevent identity theft and end the hiring of future unauthorized workers; and,
 * Establish an improved process for admitting future workers to serve our nation’s workforce needs, while simultaneously protecting all workers.”

Obama, in a speech on his immigration plan in Las Vegas on Jan. 29, endorsed the basic principles of the Gang of Eight’s plan. “The good news is for the first time in many years, Republicans and Democrats seem ready to tackle this problem together,” Obama said.

Recent reports say that the federal government’s measures to tighten border security – increasing the number of border agents and using drones for surveillance – have reduced the flow of illegal immigrants to a trickle. Last year, the government spent $18 billion on immigration, increasing security and deporting nearly 410,000 people in one year, a record for the country. Also, 340,000 people – a 40-year low – were caught in Mexico trying to illegally cross the border.

This information has bolstered the resolve of immigration reformers, who argue that now is the time to start talking about fast-tracking citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. Not everyone supports the proposals. Conservatives oppose a path to citizenship, saying that the Gang of Eight is proposing a form of “amnesty” (read the FactCheck.org article: “Is Senate Immigration Plan ‘Amnesty’?”).

U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R., Texas) says that the senators’ plan would not only reward people who have illegally entered the country, but it also would encourage more illegal immigration.“The American people should not be fooled,” Smith said. “When you legalize those who are in the country illegally, it costs taxpayers millions of dollars, costs American workers thousands of jobs and encourages more illegal immigration.”

Other sticking points in proposed legislation remain, including the length of time that those in the country illegally would have to wait before applying for citizenship. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D., Vt.), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, has scheduled the first hearing on immigration for Feb. 13, a day after Obama's State of the Union address. The Judiciary Committee oversees the subcommittee that will draft any immigration legislation.

Do you think agree with the senators’ proposal to increase border security, then address the possibility of granting citizenship to illegal immigrants? What about the other issues in their plan? Should citizenship be possible for people who came into this country illegally? Join the discussion and let us know what you think!
 * What do you think?**