When Immigration Matters

The Homeland Security Department is notifying a small group of people this week that they have been approved to stay in the country for two years as part of President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The first approvals come just three weeks after U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services started accepting applications for the program that Obama and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano first announced June 15.

 As appearing in Law360, New York (July 11, 2012, 2:16 PM ET)

On June 15, 2012, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and President Obama announced that effective immediately certain undocumented youth who were brought to the United States as young children, who do not present a risk to national security or public safety, and meet several key criteria will be considered for relief from removal from the country or from entering into removal proceedings.

Have you heard the HUGE news???

Since 2001, when the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act was first introduced as bipartisan legislation, its main provision—providing permanent resident status (i.e. a “green card”) upon completion of two years of college or service in the military—has held out hopes of a lasting solution for these young people. As the current political environment has become more polarized, bipartisan support for the DREAM Act has waned. Recently, however, new, more narrow proposals have circulated that either restrict eligibility for permanent residency to a smaller group of young people or offer no dedicated path to permanent residency (and, eventually, U.S. citizenship).

Osama bin Laden’s death has earned some political capital for President Obama- and now, it looks like he’s going to spend  a little bit of it on immigration reform.

“President Obama heads to El Paso Texas to speak out on what the White House calls the nation’s ‘broken immigration system.’

AILA’s Solutions Campaign continues with our new multi-media player and website! Watch AILA experts explain the need for a real solution to our broken immigration system. Help get the word out – the solutions are here and they are achievable!

The Senate will be voting in the next few days (if not today) on the DREAM Act.   Please call and urge YOUR SENATORS to SUPPORT the DREAM Act!

Solutions That Work: A Policy Manual for Immigration Reform was crafted by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) to show that a solution to our nation's immigration problem does exist and can be achieved. Each section of this policy manual summarizes a key component of the existing immigration system, identifies its deficiencies and offers workable solutions that when applied together, will fix the totality of the broken, outdated, and inadequate system. AILA believes that for lasting and meaningful reform to take hold, these various components must be addressed in a comprehensive immigration reform package.

The Policy Manual explains how any effective, long-term solution to the immigration problem must: 1) require the unauthorized population to come out of the shadows, register their presence with the government, and give them the opportunity to earn legal status; 2) provide fair and lawful ways for American businesses to hire much-needed immigrant workers who help grow our economy while protecting U.S. workers from unfair competition and all workers from exploitation; 3) reduce the unreasonable and counterproductive backlogs in family-based and employment-based immigration; 4) ensure the permanent immigration system provides adequate visas to meet the needs of American families, businesses, and communities; and 5) preserve and restore the fundamental principles of due process and equal protection while protecting our national security.

Review and download AILA's newest advocacy resource, Solutions That Work: A Policy Manual for Immigration Reform.

With the Republicans claiming sweeping victories in the midterm elections, politicians in more than 25 states have promised to introduce Arizona-like immigration enforcement bills when their state legislatures convene in 2011. What impact will this have on the rest of the country?