LEGISLATIVE
UPDATE
AUGUST RECESS JUST ONE WEEK AWAY
Congress is scheduled to be on recess from the beginning of August to the week of September 4. From now through recess is a prime time to advocate in support of our issues with your Senators and Representative. Urge them to pass S. 2045 and H.R. 3983, the H-1B bills we support, reform the harsh and unfair 1996 immigration laws, restore Section 245(i), pass NACARA parity, and update the registry date. With the limited number of days left in this session it is imperative that action begins now! The upcoming election season offers us the opportunity to raise these issues loudly and clearly! Contact your Senators and Representative in their D.C. offices to raise these issues (202-224-3121) and schedule an appointment when they are home during recess.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Congress Once Again Stalled on H-1Bs:
Advocates Push Other Vital Issues
After returning from their July 4th recess
and hearing of the urgent need to pass H-1B legislation from
constituents back home, Congress tried to set its agenda for the
remaining days of this Congressional year. This task has
proven to be difficult in both the Senate and House with regard
to many issues including H-1Bs. In the Senate, Majority Leader
Trent Lott (R-MS) and Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-ND) are
going back and forth about the conditions under which they would
agree to move S. 2045, the H-1B bill introduced by Senators Orin
Hatch (R-UT) and Spencer Abraham (R-MI) that Lobbyists support.
With no agreement achieved, it is unclear when the bill will
move, although both parties acknowledge the importance of H-1B
legislation passing as soon as possible. Disagreements centered
on how to deal with other critically important
immigration-related issues that Lobbyists and other immigration
advocates support: NACARA parity, updating the registry
date, and restoring Section 245(i). American Business for
Legal Immigration (ABLI), the coalition of employers and
associations in which Lobbyists participate, has sent several
letters this week urging Congress to promptly pass H-1B
legislation.
Republican leadership in the House, also is
in a quandary about how to move H-1B legislation and how to help
Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) “save face” on his
bill, H.R. 4227, while giving the employer community the
substance of the bill it strongly supports, H.R. 3983, the
Dreier/Lofgren H-1B bill. While Majority Leader Richard
Armey (R-TX) has indicated that the bill that will go to the
floor will be “substantially” the same as the
Dreier/Lofgren bill, he also has asked Representative David
Dreier (R-CA) to work with Representative Smith on possible
compromises. Representative Armey also has indicated that
he wants to move a “clean” H-1B bill: that is, a bill
without immigration amendments. In the meantime, key Democrats
are urging Republican leadership to address NACARA parity and
update the registry date. Pro-immigration advocates,
Lobbyists’ coalition partners, also are urging Congress to
address “Latino Fairness Issues” on the H-1B bill:
NACARA parity, registry date update, and 245(i) restoration,
along with backlog reduction and benefits restoration.
This is a very fluid situation, with
negotiations starting and stopping continuously. We have
urged both Congress and the Administration to move on these
issues and just “get it done.” Lobbyists and
their clients are encouraged to contact their Senators and
Representatives to urge immediate consideration of H-1B
legislation (S. 2045/H.R. 3983), updating the registry date (S.
2407/H.R. 4172), passing NACARA parity (S. 1592/H.R. 2772), and
restoring Section 245(i) (CSJ Appropriations bill and H.R. 1841).
Fix ’96 Bill to be Introduced in the House on July 25
Representative John Conyers (D-MI), the
ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, on July 25
will introduce a bill to reform our immigration laws and restore
the fairness and equity that was stripped away by the overly
harsh 1996 laws. Lobbyists strongly support the bill,
“the Restoration of Fairness in Immigration Act of 2000”
and many will be leading a Congressional press conference to
announce the bill’s introduction and introducing the other
supporters of the bill.
Lobbyists and coalition partners have worked
with the Democratic staff of the Judiciary Committee to reach
agreement on the final proposal. The bill offers
broad-based reform of the harsh and unfair changes made by AEDPA
and IIRAIRA, and is the most comprehensive immigration reform
bill offered in this Congress. Among other provisions, the
bill would:
DOJ Abandons its Soriano
Position: Advocates Urge the Administration to Implement
Other Administrative Changes and Support Legislative Fixes
DOJ on July 18 issued a proposed regulation that will reverse its long-standing position in the Attorney General-issued Soriano decision. The new regulation will allow eligible individuals who were placed in proceedings prior to April 24, 1996, the enactment date of AEDPA, to seek 212(c) relief before an immigration judge. Comments on the proposed regulation will be submitted by Lobbyists by the August 17, 2000 deadline. Lobbyists will urge, among other things, that the regulation be extended to include people who were deported under the now-abandoned Soriano decision. In the meantime, INS has advised Lobbyists that it will shortly instruct its field not to remove individuals who will be covered by the new regulation once it is published in final form. This is especially important to individuals in the Seventh Circuit, the only circuit to date that has upheld the AG's Soriano decision.
Lobbyists view the proposed regulation as an
important down payment for other necessary fixes that would
benefit immigrants who were unfairly harmed by the harsh 1996
laws, and the Administration’s incorrect interpretation of
them. Lobbyists seek both additional remedies from the
Administration as well as legislative fixes to restore fairness
and due process to our immigration laws. (See article on Conyers’
bill.)
Senate Appropriations Committee Passes
Commerce, State, Justice Bill
In a 28-0 vote, the Senate Appropriations
Committee approved the budget bill containing the FY 2001 INS
spending plan. The measure, which passed the committee on July
18, now goes to the full Senate for a vote. As expected, the
Senate’s spending plan differs greatly from the one approved
by the House Appropriations Committee (see June 30 Advocacy
Update for details on the House bill). Specifically, the
Senate version would:
Southern and Northern Border Enforcement
Concerns
A delegation of human rights activists,
religious organizers, community members, and ranchers from
Arizona held a press conference on June 27, at the Capital to
protest recent vigilante activities in their border communities.
The delegation made the rounds of Washington, D.C., carrying a
markedly different message about the area’s immigration
crisis than those featured in recent national mass media stories.
Unlike the rancher-vigilantes who appear so prominently in these
stories, this group is calling for a new approach to the crisis
which would not include major increases in the number of Border
Patrol agents in the area, which they said would further
militarize the problem. Instead, the delegation wants
ranchers who are arresting, often at gunpoint, hundreds of
undocumented migrants each week to be prosecuted and the INS to
reconsider its blockade strategy. This tactic has forced
tens of thousands of immigrants seeking work in the United States
into dangerous parts of the Southwestern desert.
On June 30 Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) announced
that he succeeded in securing $5 million in federal emergency
grants in the FY 2000 emergency supplement to help defray costs
of law enforcement and criminal justice processing. However,
instead of further deployments of Border Patrol agents, the
delegation members urge Washington to address the root causes of
the immigrant flood, including the failure of the North American
Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to create more jobs in Mexico or to
give labor the same freedom to cross the border as it does
capital.
Meanwhile, at the Northern border, Lobbyists
and their clients have reported to INS erratic and erroneous
denials of entry for TN professionals, business visitors, and L-1
NAFTA applications. Business and other leaders discussed these
problems at a “pre-meeting” in Seattle to set an agenda
for the upcoming cross-border talks between Canadian and U.S.
officials under the Canada-U.S. Protocol (CUSP). Due to
these border problems, along with rejections of Japanese B-1
visitors at the Portland, Oregon airport, Senator Slade Gorton
(R-WA) has set up meetings with INS and business officials.
In addition, Senators Gorton and Patty Murray (D), and most of
the other members of the Washington State congressional
delegation, sent a letter to INS Commissioner Doris Meissner
urging an end to transfers of Northern Border Patrol and INS
agents to the southern border and an overall increase in
personnel assigned to the northern border.
Lobbyists are continuing their liaison
efforts with INS Enforcement officials to urge better training
and consistency of decisions. In addition, Lobbyists are
working with interested Congressional offices to highlight the
importance of this issue to cross-border trade, travel, tourism
and relations.
The Presidential Race: Gore Backs IIRAIRA Reform; Bush Proposes $100M for Natz
Continuing their battle for the Latino vote,
Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush each
proposed immigration reforms. Speaking recently before the
National Council of La Raza, the Vice President endorsed proposed
changes in the retroactivity provisions of IIRAIRA that Lobbyists
long has sought. “I am in favor of eliminating the specific
provision … where a misdemeanor 10 years ago can trigger a
very onerous and unfair application of the law, which has drastic
and cruel consequences for breaking up families on the basis of
some small, youthful mistake years and years ago,” Gore said
in response to a question after his July 3 speech. Gore also
promised to end Operation Gatekeeper, a Border Patrol initiative
that has caused undocumented immigrants to use the Southwestern
deserts for transit. More than 500 people have died (most of
dehydration and heat stroke) while crossing into the U.S.
Governor Bush, the presumed Republican
presidential candidate, announced that he would increase
naturalization funding by $100 million a year over five years,
and would set a six-month standard for the INS to approve
adjudication applications. Bush also said he would establish
“a new culture of respect” for immigrants at the INS.
Neither the Vice President nor Texas Governor provided any
further details.
Lobbyists are pleased that Vice President
Gore recognizes that IIRAIRA violates key American principles of
law, justice, fairness and family values. But, for the last two
years, the Administration largely has sat on administrative fixes
it could make to some of the more onerous IIRAIRA provisions.
(The Department of Justice did recently abandon its position in Soriano.
See previous article). Lobbyists calls on Vice President Gore to
demonstrate his seriousness about reforming IIRAIRA by ensuring
that the Administration issues more remedies and supports good
legislative fixes. For his part, Governor Bush has yet to speak
out on either IIRAIRA or important family-based immigration
issues, such as restoring Section 245(i), extending NACARA equity
of relief, and changing the registry date. Lobbyists strongly
urge him to demonstrate his commitment to immigrant voters by
positively addressing these issues. Lobbyists also urge the
Republican party to clarify who speaks for them on immigration:
Governor Bush or Representative Lamar Smith.
House Approves Relief for Syrian Jews
Bypassing the committee process and moving
directly to the floor, the House approved a bill designed to ease
the way for Jews who fled persecution in Syria to become
permanent residents. Introduced by Representative and
Senate candidate Rick Lazio (R-NY), H.R. 4681 would require the
Attorney General to grant permanent resident status to those
Jewish Syrian nationals who entered the United States after
December 31, 1991, and who have been residing in the U.S. for at
least one year after being granted political asylum. This
measure largely mirrors a bill long championed by Representative
Anthony Weiner (D-NY). Approvals are not subject to the numerical
quotas on asylum adjustments, but the total number of applicants
whose status may be adjusted under this law is limited to 2,000.
Applicants must file for adjustment of status within one year of
the law’s enactment date. The Senate is expected to
approve this measure.
BILL ROUND-UP: A Review of Other Immigration Issues Before Congress
The House This Week Passed the Following
Two Bills:
H.R. 2909, the Inter-Country Adoption Act of 2000, introduced by Representative Benjamin Gilman (R-NY): The Act would provide for implementation by the United States of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. It also would help improve the ability of the federal government to assist U.S. citizens seeking to adopt children from abroad, “protect the rights of, and prevent abuses against, children, birth families, and adoptive parents involved in adoptions (or prospective adoptions) subject to the Convention, and ensure that such adoptions are in the children's best interests.”
H.R. 2961, the International Patient Act of 2000, introduced by Representative Ken Bentsen (D-TX): The Act would “amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize a 3-year pilot program under which the Attorney General may extend the period for voluntary departure in the case of certain nonimmigrant aliens who require medical treatment in the United States and were admitted under the visa waiver pilot program…”
Judiciary Committee Will Consider
Increased Penalities for Alien Smuggling: The House
Judiciary Committee this week postponed its scheduled markup of
H.R. 238, introduced by Representative James Rogan (R-CA). The
committee will consider this bill next week. H.R. 238 would
impose mandatory minimum sentences and increase certain sentences
for smuggling, harboring, and transporting undocumented aliens,
and it would enhance penalties for persons committing such
offenses while armed. During a markup in the House
Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims, Representative Sheila
Jackson Lee (D-TX) introduced an amendment that would have
provided a “good Samaritan” exemption to those who
provide life-sustaining assistance to undocumented migrants.
Although the Subcommittee did not adopt the amendment, it became
clear during the course of the markup that there was Republican
sympathy for the amendment and that there was some possibility
that the full Committee might adopt it. Subcommittee
Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) offered to work out a compromise
prior to the bill’s consideration by the full Judiciary
Committee. However, no such compromise appears to have been
reached.
Citizenship for Adopted Orphans to be Considered: The House Judiciary Committee also postponed this week’s markup of H.R. 2883, the “Adopted Orphans Citizenship Act”, introduced by Representative Smith. The bill is expected to be marked-up next week. It would confer citizenship on certain foreign-born children adopted by U.S. citizens. The bill requires that the child be unmarried and under age 18, and have sought documentation conferring citizenship prior to their 18th birthday. According to Representative Smith, H.R. 2883 is necessary because under current law families often don’t know they have to apply for an adopted child’s citizenship separately. As a result, many adopted children have applied for student financial aid or have attempted to register to vote, only to discover they are not U.S. citizens. In other cases, he contends, parents have waited too long to begin the citizenship process for adopted children, and the children have aged-out and are no longer entitled to the preferential treatment offered to minor children of U.S. citizens. Given the bill’s requirement that the child “seeks documentation as a United States citizen while under the age of 18 years,” it is unclear how this bill would solve these problems. The Senate passed S. 1485, a companion bill, on October 2, 1999.
Representative William Delahunt (D-MA) introduced a competing bill, H.R. 3667. Representative Delahunt and other Democrats object to the retroactive grant of citizenship, believing that citizenship for such a child should become effective on the date of adoption. In addition, H.R. 3667 does not require the child to have pursued citizenship prior to their 18th birthday.
Senate Judiciary Committee to Consider
Waiver of Naturalization Oath for Disabled Applicants: The
Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled this week to markup S.
2812, introduced by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Christopher Dodd
(D-CT), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). The bill would
provide the Attorney General with the authority to waive the
naturalization oath for individuals who are otherwise qualified
but who are too disabled to take a meaningful oath. The
plight of Gustavo Galvez Letona, whose parents and siblings are
naturalized citizens, convinced Hatch to introduce the bill.
Because the 27-year-old Guatemala native suffers from Downs
Syndrome and is unable to understand the oath, the U.S.
government has denied his citizenship application.
House Immigration Subcommittee Will Hold Hearing on Battered Immigrant Women: The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims held a July 20 hearing on H.R. 3083, the “Battered Immigrant Women Protection Act of 1999,” introduced by Representative Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL). The bill would protect alien women and children who are the victims of domestic violence, and reverse the negative effects of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRAIRA), and the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA). These laws negated many provisions of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) by severely limiting aliens’ access to relief, imposing very high, new bars to admissibility, and barring access to public benefits to aliens unless they fit tight eligibility criteria. Advocates believe that enactment of this legislation would correct these problems and provide necessary protections for battered immigrants and their children. Notwithstanding the hearing on H.R. 3083, the House Immigration Subcommittee is not expected this session to markup this bill or any other measure relating to battered immigrants. However, the Senate is expected to pass S. 2787 shortly. Introduced by Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE), S. 2787 would reauthorize programs under VAWA and contains substantial battered immigrant provisions. While the House and Senate need to resolve their differences on this issue, it is unclear if House Republicans will accept any of the Senate battered immigrant provisions.
GRASSROOTS UPDATE
Voter Registration and the Elections
Lobbyists Advocacy urges you to talk with your naturalized clients about the importance of registering to vote, and encourage them to vote in the upcoming elections. We have developed a brochure in both English and Spanish to assist you in explaining this right and responsibility. You can soon find this brochure on InfoNet, in the Advocacy Center under “Project Grassroots” and the English version as an insert in the July issue of Immigration Law Today.
In anticipation of the November elections, Lobbyists last month circulated immigration policy questionnaires to all Senate and House candidates. We are creating a voter guide based on the responses we receive that we hope you, your clients, and your business partners will use to help you consider which candidates to support. This guide will include issue papers and ideas for making immigration an important topic for candidates and local media.
Combating Ads Run by Restrictionist Organizations
With big money for advertising,
restrictionist organizations are working hard to push their
legislative agendas with Congress, and are at the same time using
these ads to try and impact the November elections. The
Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) and the Coalition
for the Future American Worker, a FAIR front group, have been
placing anti-H-1B advertisements in newspapers across the
country. Members of Congress most targeted by this recent
campaign include Senator Spence Abraham (R-MI), Speaker Dennis
Hastert (R-IL), Representatives Jay Insley (D-WA), Adam Smith
(D-WA), Richard Armey (R-TX), Tom DeLay (R-TX), Bill Archer
(R-TX) Richard Gephardt (D-MO) and Heather Wilson (R-NM).
These ads are accusing them of bowing to special interests and
giving foreign workers an advantage over American workers. The
advertisements inaccurately describe H-1Bs as taking jobs away
from Americans, and allowing employers to import cheap labor.
We encourage you to contact other Lobbyists
if you see any of these advertisements in your area, or are aware
of any restrictionist organization’s activities. The more
information we have, the better able we are to defeat their
efforts on the Hill. AILA urges you to respond to these negative
ads by contacting your Representative and Senators in favor of
the H-1B legislation and writing letters to the editor from the
newspapers where you see the ads.
IMMIGRATION AROUND THE NATION
Look Who’s Talking with Congress
Madeline Welch works with the Immigrants Council of Delaware, a grassroots organization of immigrants from diverse backgrounds. The Council held a meeting with Representative Michael Castle on May 22 to voice concerns about U.S. immigration policy, especially the failure of Congress to provide for the growing need for essential workers and to urge the restoration of Section 245(i).
Some members are voicing Lobbyists’ position with Congress on H-1B legislation, restoration of Section 245(i), updating the Registry date, and NACARA parity. We’ve heard from Mark Horak in Maryland, Mark Daly in California, Patrick Leung in Minnesota, Susan Lydon in California, Nancy Berte in Illinois, Steve Cobb in Tennessee, Linda Clifford in Wisconsin, and Gerry Chapman in North Carolina. We still need more calls, emails, and letters to make this an effective campaign! Thanks to everyone who has contacted their Senators and Representatives on these issues. They need to hear from you!
Look Who’s Talking with the Media
Members & Staff in the News.
Socheat Chea was mentioned in a July 15 New York Times column
about Mary Anne Gehris that was written by Anthony Lewis. Elizabeth
Calderon was quoted in an article about INS backlogs that
appeared in the July issue of The Washingtonian magazine. Jeffrey
Moeller was quoted in a July 12 article in the Anchorage
Daily News about a successful businessman facing deportation
because he entered the country as an undocumented alien more than
20 years ago. A July 10 Associated Press report about the
deportation of an Iranian dissident quoted Michael Maggio.
Cheryl Little was quoted in a July 7 Miami Herald article
about the head of the Krone detention center resigning. Edwin
Prud’homme was quoted in a July 4 Las Vegas Sun article
about backlogs. Greg Boos was quoted in a Bellingham
Herald July 3 article about tracking foreign students. A July
1 article about INS backlogs that ran in The Atlanta-Journal
Constitution quoted Judy Golub and mentioned Ted
Ruthizer. Jack Pinnix wrote an op-ed stating
that immigrants are vital that ran in the July 2 Charlotte
News & Observer. Jack Pinnix also was quoted in a
number of articles about a Chinese immigrant who befriended
Marines during World War II and finally received citizenship
(July 2, Charlotte Observer; June 29, Akron
Beacon Journal). A July 1 Newsday article about the
INS losing a lawsuit over fee waivers for Hondurans quoted Charles
Wheeler. Michael Ray was quoted in a July 1 Miami
Herald article about the Elian Gonzalez case. Howard
Eisberg was quoted in a June 30 Kansas City Business
Journal article about H-1B visas. Sheela Murthy was
quoted in an article about H-1B visas that ran June 26 on Office.com.
An article about H-1B visas published in the June 30 issue of Boston
Business Journal quoted Steve Clark and Eileen
Morrison.
Backlogs. The Amarillo Globe-News ran
a July 6 article about how backlogs are hurting immigrants
graduating from high school.
Citizenship. The Times of India ran
a July 19 article about a woman with cerebral palsy to whom the
INS denied citizenship on the grounds that she could not
understand or respond to the oath of citizenship. The same
woman was the subject of a July 18 piece on CNN.com. The July 5
issue of The Miami Herald reported on a citizenship
ceremony for 64 children. The Washington Times ran a July
5 article about citizenship ceremonies around the nation on
Independence Day. In an article published on Independence Day, The
Washington Post reported on naturalization and citizenship
rates. The Bergen County Record ran a July 3 article about
the history of African-American immigrants and citizens. In its
July 2 issue, The Charlotte News & Observer ran an
article about the successful citizenship quest of a Chinese man
who befriended U.S. Marines in 1949.
Economics. The July 16 issue of
The Denver Post reported that immigrants are helping to
fill employment voids. In a July 11 speech, Federal Reserve
Chairman Alan Greenspan said the high-tech worker shortage could
halt American economic growth. According to the June 26
issue of The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, you can get a sense
of the new Minnesota by strolling a picket line at a Minneapolis
hotel. The Associated Press reported June 23 on employer
efforts to hire bilingual workers to serve Indianapolis’
growing Hispanic population.
Editorials. On July 19, The
Houston Chronicle ran an editorial denouncing anti-H-1B
advertisements, and urging Congress to raise the cap. The San
Jose Mercury-News ran a July 18 editorial calling on Congress
to approve a “clean” version of the Dreier-Lofgren H-1B
bill. The Miami Herald, in a July 17 editorial, endorsed
extending TPS to Hondurans and Nicaraguans. The previous day, the
same newspaper stated that immigration reforms are needed for a
strong economy and a just America. The New York Times ran
a July 5 editorial endorsing measures to raise the H-1B cap,
grant NACARA parity and deal with late legalizations.
Haitian Immigrants. In its July 7
on-line edition, ABC News reported on deportation proceedings
against Haitian families.
H-1B. Newsbytes ran a July 19
report about a news conference by high-tech executives calling on
Congress to approve an H-1B measure that does not include family
provisions. A July 18 op-ed in The Seattle Times called on
Congress to pass the Dreier/Lofgren bill. Computer Reseller
News reported July 17 that leading minority groups, including
the National Urban League, oppose measures to raise the H-1B cap.
The July 10 issue of Roll Call ran articles about H-1Bs by
Representatives Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Lamar Smith (R-TX). The
Wall Street Journal ran a July 7 article about opposition to
raising the H-1B cap by African-American professional groups. The
June 30 issue of The Washington Post ran an article about
measures that would raise the H-1B cap. The Kansas City
Business Journal ran a June 30 article about the effect the
cap is having on high-tech businesses.
INS Enforcement. Operation Vanguard
will be expanded in Iowa and Nebraska, according to a July 17
report on Latinolink.com. The Arizona Daily Star ran a
July 7 article about the Border Patrol purchasing seven planes.
The Fox News Channel, in its on-line edition, ran a July 5
article about an INS proposal to expand a computer system
tracking the movements and activities of students. In a July 3
article, USA Today reported on deaths along the
U.S.-Mexican border.
IIRAIRA. A July 15 column in The
New York Times reported on a Georgia Board of Pardons &
Parole letter to the U.S. Senate, asking lawmakers to reform
IIRAIRA. The Seattle Times ran a July 7 article about the
INS paying a woman $11,456 for illegally detaining her for 78
days. The Las Vegas Sun ran a June 27 article about an
Iranian woman detained by the INS based on secret evidence. The
Associated Press, in a June 22 dispatch, quoted an INS
spokesman as saying that a Polish immigrant professional football
player was unlikely to be deported even if he was convicted on
charges of possessing a so-called “date rape” drug. A
June 21 article in The Providence Journal reported on
efforts of Congressional Republicans to change the law’s
retroactivity provisions.
Politics. The Orange County
Register reported July 15 that Hispanic activists launched a
$2-million voter registration drive. A number of media outlets
ran July 6 articles about Texas Governor George W. Bush calling
for increasing funding for INS adjudications (an article on the
presumed Republican presidential nominee’s comments is in
this issue). USA Today reported on July 5 about a poll
demonstrating demographic and political changes among Hispanic
voters. Speaking on July 4, President Clinton said “immigrants
have enriched our culture, enhanced our economy, broadened our
vision of the world.”
Restrictionists. George Borjas wrote
a July 18 op-ed in The New York Times arguing that the
U.S. should bar poor Mexican immigrants. A Center for Immigration
Studies report linking declines in health insurance rates to
immigrants was the subject of an article in the July 18 Houston
Chronicle. The July 7 issue of The Arizona Daily
Star carried a report about an English-only referendum on the
Utah ballot. The Los Angeles Times reported July 5 on a
near-riot between the Voice of Citizens Together, an
anti-immigration group affiliated with the Federation for
American Immigration Reform, and Mexican-Americans. The
Chicago Tribune ran a July 4 article about the Federation for
American Immigration Reform’s advertising campaign in
Michigan. The Seattle Times ran a June 19 article about
vigilantes at the US-Mexican border.
Spousal Separation. The Dallas
Morning News ran a July 5 article about the INS denying visas
to participants of same-sex marriages.
Student Visas. The July 5 issue of The
Ohio State University Lantern ran an article about efforts to
establish a new visa for international students. The University
of Cincinnati called tracking foreign students a “scary”
idea, according to the June 29 Cincinnati Post.
Visa Lottery. Africa News Online reported
June 28 that 6,017 Nigerians won U.S. visas.