Scott Powers
A new conservative coalition has formed in Florida seeking to push for immigration reform that would also oppose any mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.
Floridians for an Immigration Solution, chaired by Ed Moore, president of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, announced Wednesday it wants to work with a Donald Trump White House and Florida’s congressional delegation to push for four immigration reform points that would first secure the borders, then overhaul legal immigration systems, while allowing most undocumented immigrants to stay.
The group’s leadership includes state Sen. Rene Garcia, Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez, Will Ward of the Seafood Harvesters of America, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Juan Zapata and Julio Fuentes, president of the Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, among others. It’s backed by New American Economy, a non-partisan group founded by Michael Bloomberg, Fox News CEO Rupert Murdoch, former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, and Walt Disney Co. President Bob Iger, and is one of a dozen such state coalitions emerging to address immigration.
On Wednesday, Moore and others in the coalition’s leadership argued that immigration is too critical to the economy in Florida and nationwide to not be immediately addressed. Moore spoke of talented international students, graduate students and doctoral students who would like to stay and work in the United States who wind up having to go home to work when their student visas expire; Ward and Fuentes spoke of the impact on small businesses if they lose current immigrant workers or cannot attract new ones. Others spoke of the benefits to the tax and Social Security system if millions of workers now paid under the table suddenly started paying in.
Rudy Fernandez, former special assistant to President George W. Bush, laid out the group’s four principals:
* Secure the borders first. If that must include building a wall, then build that wall.
* Use current and emerging technologies for ID cards to track legal immigrants, so that the U.S. can have a clearer handle on who is overstaying visas – who represent 40 percent of all undocumented immigrants – and where they are.
* Update the visa system so it can better address supply and demand of talented immigrants and their skills, and American jobs in need of those skills.
* Oppose mass deportation.
“It will be economically, frankly politically and morally disasterous in Florida and throughout the country to deport millions of people,” Fernandez said. “If you are undocumented; and you have not committed any other crimes; if you’re willing to learn English; and you’re willing to pay any back taxes; we believe that a Trump administration ought to work with congressional leaders to create a path to legalization for those folks who are guilty of no other violation but overstaying their visa or crossing the border illegally.”
The last point – opposing mass deportation – may put the coalition at odds with Trump’s announced positions. And only the first point clearly differentiates the coalition’s agenda from that held by many Democrats. The liberal wing has argued that the borders are far more secure than is credited, noting record deportations by the President Barack Obama administration and a negative net migration in the past year, and has charged that the notion of needing more secure borders is merely a ruse of perception to delay consideration of other reforms.
The coalition’s organizers conceded that closing the borders is at least partly a matter of perception, but agued the clear perception nationwide is that much more needs to be done.
“When we talk about securing the border, it’s giving us a sense that there are controls in place, and that bad guys are not coming in,” Moore said.
6 comments
Don Honda
November 24, 2016 at 11:33 am
First of all, let’s be very clear about who the Partnership for a New American Economy is:
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DDAeAbX4RLns%26feature%3Dyoutu.be&h=EAQH0gyM3
Don Honda
November 24, 2016 at 11:33 am
NOTE & WARNING: The links provided below contain direct quotes from Obama and his officials.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jun/16/obama-amnesty-extends-businesses-hire-illegals/
Obama gives free pass to businesses that hire illegals
Audits, fines drop for employers
“President Obama took office vowing to go after unscrupulous employers who hire illegal immigrants, but worksite audits have plunged over the last year and a half, according to a report released Tuesday by the Center for Immigration Studies, tumbling along with the rest of immigration enforcement.”
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-obama-deportations-20140402,0,545192,full.story#axzz2xkzioeHR
The Left-Leaning LA Times posted an article that shows that the Obama administration, the Illegal Alien lobby, and the major media outlets have been in collusion to depict the “high” deportation numbers. The exact opposite is true since the beginning of the current President’s policy. Interior deportation has and will be lower than 1973 rates. This is leading towards more people overstaying their visas and currently, more Illegal Alien minors crossing the border. Obama has just recently instructed border patrol to not turn back those Illegal Aliens on record as having entered illegally as priors, but to let them pass IF they don’t have a major criminal record. After the first Illegal Entry, it is a felony each time thereafter.
Even Obama in 2011, called the deportation numbers deceptive when talking to Hispanic voters. President Obama said statistics that show his administration is on track to deport more illegal immigrants than the Bush administration are misleading.
“The statistics are a little deceptive,” he said Wednesday in an online discussion aimed at Hispanic voters.”
“If you are a run-of-the-mill immigrant here illegally, your odds of getting deported are close to zero — it’s just highly unlikely to happen,” John Sandweg, until recently the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
http://thehill.com/policy/technology/184393-obama-calls-for-pathway-to-citizenship-in-online-talk
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/12/deportations-come-mostly-from-border-dhs-chief-say/?page=1
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/346043/cooking-boo
http://www.ibtimes.com/immigration-reform-2015-obamas-priority-enforcement-program-protects-87-percent-2021453
Immigration Reform 2015: Obama’s Priority Enforcement Program Protects 87 Percent Of Undocumented Immigrants, Report Finds
“The refocus in law enforcement efforts has effectively protected 9.6 million of the United States’ estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants from deportation, the report found. In all, a full implementation of Obama’s changes would reduce annual deportations to approximately 25,000…”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/apr/13/immigration-chief-sanctuary-cities-influx-kids/
“The federal government’s chief deportation agency has seen its success plummet under President Obama, and its chief, Sarah R. Saldana, will tell Congress on Tuesday that they’ve had trouble adapting to the changing face of illegal immigration and a lack of cooperation from both American cities and from foreign countries.
Ms. Saldana, director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), says in testimony prepared for the House Judiciary Committee that the dramatic drop in deportations is a reflection of a trickier set of circumstances and pressures from all sides.
She said she had to pull agents off their regular duties during last summer’s illegal immigrant surge at the border, which meant fewer people focusing on deporting the longtime illegal immigrants living in the interior of the U.S. And she said the lack of cooperation from states, counties and cities when agents ask them to hold an illegal immigrant for pickup has also hindered efforts.”
Don Honda
November 24, 2016 at 11:34 am
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/08/18/30-million-illegal-immigrants-in-us-says-mexicos-former-ambassador/
30 Million Illegal Immigrants in US, Says Mexico’s Former Ambassador on MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.com/andrea-mitchell-reports/watch/backlash-grows-over-trump-s-immigration-plan-507691587765
“The former ambassador stated,” If you were to deport the 30 million undocumented immigrants in the United States that’s going to cost you about 130 billion dollars.”
That’s $4333 each. So when you count up the $1500 each per year in food stamps plus the $4000 each per year sent out of the country, that’s already a net savings to the economy right there.
http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/latino/edgard-portela/2016/02/25/fiesta-new-wave-mexican-immigrants-univision
Fiesta for New ‘Wave’ of Mexican Immigrants on Univision
http://www.mrctv.org/videos/fiesta-new-wave-mexican-immigrants-univision
“Despite official statistics showing immigration from Mexico is down in recent years, Univision has found an apparent exception in the case of immigrants from the Mexican state of Puebla.
ORLANDO SEGURA, UNIVISION: During the last 30 years three migrant waves of Pueblans to New York have existed. The first was in the 80’s, benefitting from the amnesty of Ronald Reagan. The second, during the economic boom of the presidency of Bill Clinton. The third, we are living through right now.”
According to a recent DHS report the number of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) coming across the border has doubled and the number of family units has tripled in fiscal year 2016 compared to the same time frame in fiscal year 2015.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-border-patrol-migrants-20160424-story.html
Border Patrol sees increase in number of migrants being detained at Mexico border
“The number of family members caught crossing illegally has nearly tripled compared with this time last year, and the number of unaccompanied children has almost doubled, the figures show.”
http://www.cbp.gov/site-page/southwest-border-unaccompanied-alien-children-statistics-fy-2016
“The number of unaccompanied alien children (0-17 years old) that were apprehend between October 1- January 31 has doubled from 10,105 in 2015 to 20,455 in 2016. The number of family units apprehended in the same time period has almost tripled from 9,090 in 2015 to 24,616 in 2016.”
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/social-affairs/20151125/thousands-of-unaccompanied-children-crossed-us-mexico-border-in-october
Thousands of unaccompanied children crossed US-Mexico border in October
http://www.latintimes.com/us-border-arrests-immigrant-children-and-families-increased-52-percent-august-342201
US Border Arrests Of Immigrant Children And Families Increased 52 Percent in August
“According to statistics released by the U.S. Border Patrol nearly 10,000 unaccompanied minors and families were arrested in the month of August, a 52 percent jump from last year.”
http://www.ibtimes.com/immigration-reform-2015-immigrant-families-surging-again-us-border-homeland-security-2043891
Immigration Reform 2015: Immigrant Families Surging Again At US Border, Homeland Security Says
“Federal border officials might have spoken too soon when they predicted earlier this year that the level of illegal immigration to the U.S. among mothers and children would decrease. There was actually a surge of immigrant families crossing U.S. borders last month [July 2015], a top Department of Homeland Security official told a federal court Thursday.”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/oct/21/surge-illegal-children-families-accelerates/?page=1
Surge of illegal children, families accelerates 10,000 caught at border in September
“The surge of children and families crossing the southwest border illegally accelerated again in September, leaving fiscal year 2015 the second-worst on record, according to numbers released Wednesday by the Border Patrol.”
http://www.hsgac.senate.gov/hearings/ongoing-migration-from-central-america-an-examination-of-fy2015-apprehensions
Ongoing Migration from Central America: An Examination of FY2015 Apprehensions
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/sep/9/20-pct-illegals-caught-border-have-criminal-record/
Agents say just 40 percent of U.S.-Mexico border under control
20 percent of illegals caught at border have criminal records
“Less than half of the U.S.-Mexico border is under “operational control,” and one out of every five illegal immigrants caught there has a criminal record, the chief of Border Patrol agents’ labor union told Congress Wednesday when detailing violence that increasingly spills over the international boundary.”
Don Honda
November 24, 2016 at 11:34 am
An Atlantic Monthly article that shows that most economists’ thinking that an increased influx of immigrants provides more jobs for Americans is FALSE and does harm jobs for US workers and the economy:
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/01/does-immigration-harm-working-americans/384060/
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990DEFDC1430F934A15750C0A9609C8B63
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/03/27/notes-on-immigration/
The Conscience Of A Liberal–Paul Krugman
“First, the benefits of immigration to the population already here are small.”
” But as Mr. Hanson explains in his paper, reasonable calculations suggest that we’re talking about very small numbers, perhaps as little as 0.1 percent of GDP.
“My second negative point is that immigration reduces the wages of domestic workers who compete with immigrants. That’s just supply and demand…
“Finally, the fiscal burden of low-wage immigrants is also pretty clear. ”
Also, it is patently untrue that “immigrants” are the solution to low rate of start-ups:
http://smallbiztrends.com/2015/01/immigration-reform-declining-start-rate.html
Don Honda
November 24, 2016 at 11:35 am
There is no STEM crisis. There is in fact a surplus of US workers for STEM:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/georgeleef/2014/06/06/true-or-false-america-desperately-needs-more-stem-workers/
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/the-administration/257041-obamas-latest-plan-to-rewrite-immigration-law
http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/immigration/item/21801-sen-sessions-rep-brat-warn-colleagues-to-curb-immigration
Watch Dan Rather’s Doc: No Thanks For Everything
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeoBWzIRuic
http://spectrum.ieee.org/static/the-stem-crisis-is-a-myth-an-ongoing-discussion
The STEM Crisis is a Myth: An Ongoing Discussion
Throughout the month of September, we’ll provide continuing coverage and debate
https://gspp.berkeley.edu/assets/uploads/research/pdf/h1b.pdf
The Effects of High-Skilled Immigration Policy on Firms: Evidence from H-1B Visa Lotteries
http://www.epi.org/blog/h-1b-visas-do-not-create-jobs-or-improve-conditions-for-u-s-workers/
H-1B Visas Do Not Create Jobs or Improve Conditions for U.S. Workers
The immigration attorneys from Cohen & Grigsby explain how they assist employers in running classified ads with the goal of NOT finding any qualified applicants, and the steps they go through to disqualify even the most qualified Americans in order to secure green cards for H-1b workers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCbFEgFajGU
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programmers_Guild
On May 2, 2008 a civil court judge sided with the Programmers Guild in their complaint against a Pittsburgh computer consulting company and ordered it to pay $45,000 in penalties for discriminating against legal US residents by advertising only for developers on H-1B visas. The case was brought against iGate Mastech for placing an advertisement for thirty computer programmers in 2006 “that expressly favored H-1B visa holders to the exclusion of US citizens, lawful permanent citizens and other legal US workers” according to the US Department of Justice.[8]
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/did-you-know-obama-just-took-new-executive-action-on-immigration/article/2562053
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/09/28/obama-prepares-give-away-white-collar-jobs-citizenship-foreign-graduates/
Obama Prepares Give-Away of White-Collar Jobs And Citizenship To Foreign Graduates
http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/international/238574-trade-agreement-is-a-trojan-horse-for-obamas-immigration
Obama just expanded definitions of “specialized knowledge” and no rule to hire US workers first leads to even more abuse of the L1-B Visas
Here’s where Job Brokers abuse the H1B Visas, provide fake job histories and resumes, provide bogus training:
http://www.revealnews.org/article/job-brokers-steal-wages-entrap-indian-tech-workers-in-us/
http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/Grassley-Statement-Concerning-Immigration-Reforms-296630751.html
Don Honda
November 24, 2016 at 11:36 am
The U.S. currently has eleven non immigrant guest worker visa programs.
http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/employment/temporary.html
There is no cap on the number of workers allowed into the U.S. under the H-2A temporary agricultural guest worker visa program.
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/263529-funding-deal-hits-backlash-over-increase-in-worker-visas
“The provision could more than triple the number of H-2B visas for foreign workers seeking jobs at hotels, theme parks, ski resorts, golf courses, landscaping businesses, restaurants and bars. The move is intended to boost the supply of non-agricultural seasonal workers.”
http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/Resources%20for%20Congress/Congressional%20Reports/2011%20National%20Immigration%20%26%20Consular%20Conference%20Presentations/H-2A_and_H-2B_Visas.pdf
Alabama had to bite the bullet and hire LEGAL Immigrants for its AG Industry:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-09-24/africans-relocate-to-alabama-to-fill-jobs-after-immigration-law
Africans Relocate to Alabama to Fill Jobs After Immigration Law
“East Coast began calling Atlanta refugee agencies several months ago looking for legal immigrants to come to Alabama for a year, said Mbanfu,
refugee employment director for Lutheran Services in Atlanta. He said the company would have taken as many refugees as he could refer. The agency connected East Coast with refugees who had been in the country
three to five years, he said.”
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2009-09-13-plants_N.htm
Immigration raids yield jobs for legal workers
‘When federal agents descended on six meatpacking plants owned by Swift & Co. in December 2006, they rounded up nearly 1,300 suspected illegal immigrants that made up about 10% of the labor force at the plants.
But the raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents did not cripple the company or the plants. In fact, they were back up and running at full staff within months by replacing those removed with a significant number of native-born Americans, according to a report by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS).
“Whenever there’s an immigration raid, you find white, black and legal immigrant labor lining up to do those jobs that Americans will supposedly not do,” said Swain, who teaches law and political science.”
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