News Roundup – Thursday, Aug 4

The Good
Congressman’s Activism Leads To Arrest
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D.-Ill.) was arrested in front of the White House last week to protest the huge increase in deportations under the Obama administration. He tells host Michel Martin about the motivations fueling his civil disobedience, and assesses whether moving ahead on comprehensive immigration reform is possible now.

State, city helping young immigrants realize their dreams
There was overwhelming support for the Illinois Dream Act because of the campaign the “dreamers” launched, along with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrants and Refugee Rights, which represents more than 100 community organizations. University presidents, police officers, clergy, businesses and legislators, including Republicans, endorsed the bill sponsored by state Rep. Edward Acevedo (D-Chicago).

The 10th anniversary of the Dream Act
Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of the introduction of the original Dream Act. The first Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act was introduced August 1, 2001 by Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, with a bipartisan group of cosponsors. The most recent version was introduced earlier this summer by Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin. It has been heard in a Senate committee but has yet to make it to a floor vote.

DREAM Act petition lands in court
A group of students and citizens yesterday filed a lawsuit in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court to nullify the referendum drive aimed at putting the DREAM Act on the ballot next year. The plaintiffs claim that 44,000 of the roughly 109,000 signatures validated by the State Board of Elections are invalid. Another 3,800 people signed forms that did not contain a summary of the DREAM Act or the text of the law, as required in the state constitution, according to the plaintiffs.

Hispanic group urges immigration action
Hispanic leaders are not happy with the Obama administration’s nearly 1 million deportations over the past three years, which they say is more than took place during former President George W. Bush’s eight years in office. And they are not buying the president’s line that he cannot do anything to change immigration rules because of the Republican Party’s hard-line anti-immigrant stands. According to Hispanic leaders, there are many things the president could do using his executive authority, like granting temporary immigration benefits to good students or army volunteers who were brought to the country when they were children.

U.S. to Assist Immigrant Job Creators
In its quest to spur job growth and jump-start the economy, Washington is reaching out to foreign entrepreneurs. Alejandro Mayorkas, chief of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a unit of the Department of Homeland Security, on Tuesday will unveil several initiatives designed to attract and retain foreign entrepreneurs, particularly in the high-tech sector, who wish to launch start-up companies in the U.S. Among the initiatives is a plan to make it easier for some foreigners to qualify for legal permanent residence, or green cards, if they can demonstrate their work will be in the U.S. national interest. The changes will also include a way for entrepreneurs to obtain work visas without a job offer from an established company.

The Bad
Immigration law could reduce school enrollments
Because of Georgia’s new illegal immigration law, attendance at Migrant Camp has dropped 30 percent from last year. The summer program aims to address the academic needs of children of migrant workers who often bounce from school to school as their parents find work.

The Ugly
HALT the Insanity
Hinder the Administration’s Legalization Temptation Act or HALT Act is almost too absurd to take seriously. But the legislation would have dire consequences for our immigration system’s integrity if passed by taking away the immigration agencies’ discretion in making decisions related to the detention and removal of immigrants and, under certain circumstances, providing relief.This bill drives that strategy to its logical conclusion by attempting to bar virtually all forms of discretionary relief. No longer would DHS be authorized to grant a waiver allowing the undocumented wife of a soldier serving in Afghanistan to remain in the United States. No longer would the president be empowered to allow the nationals of a country experiencing a catastrophic natural disaster such as the Haiti earthquake to temporarily remain in the United States.