Barring a miracle, Josemaria Islas will be deported next month, sent back to a country that he left eight years ago. After that he will become a statistic, one of over a million people that the Obama Administration has arrested, incarcerated and ejected from the US. Last year alone, a record 409,849 immigrants were deported, […]
Obama Administration Plans To Present Immigration Reform Package
President Obama and Congress are planning to present an immigration reform package that would allow a path to citizenship to undocumented immigrants, with the intention of addressing the plan within the next couple weeks. The new plan is expected to address “young undocumented immigrants, migrant farm workers or highly skilled foreigners”, and “impose nationwide verification of legal status for newly […]
Illinois Takes Steps towards Granting Licenses to Undocumented Immigrants
Pending a House floor vote, Illinois has passed a bill that will make it the fourth state to grant driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants. If passed, Bill SB957 will allow an estimated 250,000 undocumented immigrants the opportunity to obtain three-year renewable licenses. Supporters of the bill say it is a major push for public safety. […]
Homeland Security Changes Legalization Process to Keep Families Together Longer
The Department of Homeland Security announced that beginning March 4th, undocumented immigrants can start their application process for a legal visa without leaving the U.S., a change in the current law which states that immigrants would have to return to their home country for up to six months while undergoing the process. The new rule […]
Latino Leaders Unite To Pressure President Obama on Immigration Reform
Several representatives from major national Latino organizations have united to announce the start of a civic engagement campaign to pressure President Obama and Congress to pass immigration reform early next year. The Latino leaders, from organizations like the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), and the National […]
Arizona Governor Receives Backlash from Denying Licenses to Undocumented Youth
While Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is no stranger to controversy, her latest immigration-related decision is causing more backlash than praise. Brewer is known as having one of the toughest stances on immigration in the nation, making her a popular target of lawsuits from civil rights groups and the federal government. As recently as last week, […]
Latino Democrats Divided over Decision to Approve House STEM Jobs Act
Last Friday, the House of Representatives approved the STEM Jobs Act, an immigration bill that would make 55,000 additional immigration visas available to foreigners. However, in order to expand these kinds of skilled foreign worker visas, the House members voted to eliminate the diversity visa program, which grants visas to immigrants from different countries through […]
Impending Fiscal Battle May Postpone Immigration Reform Decision
With a divided Congress and fiscal battles looming in, President Obama is starting to face challenges in his efforts to push for comprehensive immigration reform as one of his first tasks since re-election. One of the more pressing issues on President Obama’s plate is the looming fiscal cliff, which refers to the drastic changes scheduled […]
Increase in Deferred Action Applications after Obama Re-Election
With President Obama re-elected into office and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) secure, there has been an increase of interest and applications from undocumented students. “I’ve seen an increase in three ways,” says Jose Peñalosa, an immigration lawyer in Phoenix and a worker for No Dream Deferred. “In my office and through the […]
Obama Certain Immigration Reform Will Get Settled Soon
In a press conference held Wednesday afternoon, President Obama said it was time to “seize the moment” on immigration reform and that he is “very confident we can get immigration reform done.” President Obama said that in order to have reform, he would need a bipartisan agreement with securing borders, making sure companies hire legal […]
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