- Boehner’s promise: Immigration Bill Will Be Priority Next Year
December 19, 2013
House Speaker John. M. Boehner told to USA Today that reforms on the immigration laws will be upmost priority in the next session of congress. He told that immigration is next on agenda once the senate passes a bipartisan budget deal for the next two years.
In June 2013, Senate passed and proposed the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill to GOP House. However Boehner never brought the bill in house for vote. Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill was constructed by Gang of Eight, a bipartisan committee consists of four Republicans and four Democrats members. It addresses many key issues like Border Security measures, Merit based Visa System and Path for Citizenship.
One of the main controversial issues is path to citizenship. Comprehensive Bill proposes 13 years of path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants to be a n American citizenship and to appear for Immigration Medical Exam. Conservative Republicans in House opposed this bill and advised to draft a few small bills containing separate issues instead of one comprehensive bill. Few weeks back, Mr. Barak Obama, President of United States also supported this Piecemeal Approach. Last week, Vice President Joe Biden also confirmed that immigration reform is going to happen. It just need some time.
According to surveys, there are approximately 11.5 million undocumented immigrants are residing in United States, waiting for congress to pass reform bill. Thousands of immigrants and activists protested in many areas of United States. Many immigration lawyers and civil rights leaders have fasted in FastforFamilies tent, created outside Capitol Building, Washington D.C. in support of immigration reform bill.
Despite of all this pressure created by people, House Republicans showed a little interest to carry out on this issue. Alex Nowrasteh of the libertarian Cato Institute said the argument that Congress can’t take on immigration in an election year ignores history.“The last three big immigration reforms that have happened have happened during election years, 1986, 1990 and 1996,” Nowrasteh said.
Sources said that many house republicans are already drafting immigration bills in pieces. Reps. David Valadao (R-California) and Jeff Denham (R-California) have pressed Republicans to sign onto a letter they hope to present to Boehner in January to support action on immigration legislation But how much support they will get, let time do its job.
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- Obamacare Failure: will damage immigration bill?
December 18, 2013
In March 2010, American President Mr. Barak Obama signed a law called ‘Affordable Care Act’, along with ‘Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act.’ Media people called this law as “Obamacare”. The main objective of this act was to increase the quality and affordability of health insurance, to reduce healthcare costs for public and government and to lower down the uninsured rate by encouraging public and private insurance coverage.
Immigration Reform Bill, One of the most controversial and historical bill, which is now in House, waiting to bring out for vote, has been sidetracked by the complete failure of implementation of Affordable Care Act or Obamacare. Eminent personalities in House doubt on government’s ability to perform. Most House Republicans doubts about the administration’s competence to manage the complexity of immigration reform bill.
Now it is going to be tough to sell hard bills like immigration.” Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a lead co-sponsor of the Senate immigration bill, told Politico. “People are now saying, ‘So you’re going to do immigration. You’re going to let the same people manage the immigration system that’s managed Obamacare?’”
People who support piecemeal approach also stand for criticism for this issue. Mr. Brendan Buck, House Speaker John M. Boehner’s spokesperson took advantage and said.” the troubled rollout of Obamacare validated our warnings against jamming one massive bill that few have read and even fewer fully comprehend.”
On the other hand, Obama administration are advocating by differentiating both the bills. “These are different systems,” Jay Carney, Secretary of President Mr. Barak Obama, said on Monday. “I would point to the extraordinary effort that’s gone into fixing the problems on HealthCare.gov, acknowledging the shortcomings — the serious, significant shortcomings, taking ownership and responsibility for them and acting to fix the problem. Because in the end — and this would be true of immigration reform as it is of HealthCare.gov or the ACA — the issue isn’t in the end how the process is; the process is performed in service of the legislation and the goal. And in this case, in immigration reform, it’s in service of a bill that would provide, when implemented, the benefits that we’ve described and that outside analysts have described.”
Though democrats are favoring immigration bill, I really doubt that House Republicans will take advantage of this issue and will make it difficult for democrats to vote for immigration system by giving an example of Obamacare.
Christmas holidays schedule are out and immigration bill waiting for the new house session to begin in next year. It will be interesting to watch how things proceed in next session.
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- Once a DREAMer and a National Hero now, can Veteran Joseph Medina push immigration bill?
December 13, 2013
On Wednesday night, the environment at Fast4Families tent, at capitol building, Washington D.C. was bit poignant. People and activists, who are fasting there in support of the Immigration bill, were in wet eyes. The reason was an arrival of 99 years old World War II Veteran Joseph Medina, along with his Son Michael, in Fast4Families tent. Joseph Medina served in the South Pacific under Gen. Douglas McArthur. Joseph came to show his support to undocumented immigrants and also to visit the World War II Memorial with Sen. Amy Clobuchar.
Medina was orphaned at the age of nine and was brought up by his maternal Aunt. At the age of 5, they moved to Minnesota. His Aunt wrapped him under the blanket five years old while crossing the border. Afterwards they moved to St. Paul in 1925 and Medina started his career as meat packer in his mid-20s. He joined the U.S. Army in January 1944 and just after his training, he came to know that he is not legal citizen of United States.
Recalling that incident, Medina’s son Michael told, “His officers came over and said- ‘Joe, I don’t think you being legally in this country.’ At that time, it was easier to get your legalization. They sent him US Consulate of Canada, offered some papers and told him that he would become citizen on his return trip. It was as simple as that. At present, legalization process is incredibly hard-hitting.”
After being a legal citizen of United States, Journey was much simpler for Joseph Medina. He was sent back to Japan in World War II with troops. When the war ended, He was in Japan. He came to Washington to encourage thousands of DREAMers who long-sufferingly waiting for immigration bill to pass.
Passed in Senate on June 2013, Immigration Reform Bill has trapped in House. While democrats favors this comprehensive bill, GOP leadership wants a series of small bills instead of one comprehensive bill. Undocumented immigrants, who really want to serve this country, can easily join US military forces if this Comprehensive bill gets passed in Congress. Bill also proposes a 13 years of path to citizenship provision. After 13 years, undocumented immigrant may apply for Green Card Medical Exam and get a legal citizenship of United States.
US Navy changed their policies regarding admission to undocumented immigrants by making it compulsory that applicant must be a legal citizen. Following them, Marines department changed their policies in 2011 identical to Navy. The Army simply doesn’t allow undocumented applicants to fill forms. If this Comprehensive Immigration bill get passed it may give a chance to thousands of immigrants who willing to serve in US army.
Michael further added, “We are here to support this bill because there are infinite numbers of young men and women who want to join US military forces but they are denied simply because they are undocumented. We are here to encourage and support them. We are really hoping that things will change in recent future.
Joseph Medina visited World War II memorial accompanied by Senator Amy Clobuchar on Tuesday.
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- Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill: Is Congress serious enough?
December 12, 2013
The final session of Congress is going to end in a few days and the holiday schedules is already out, but the long awaited immigration bill is still on table. A day ago, during an interview, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said that she asked House speaker John Boehner about consideration of Immigration Reform Bill and he replied,” Yes, we have to wait until next year.”
It has been six months of senate passed the Comprehensive Reform Bill proposed by Gang of Eight. Few weeks ago, Congress came to the conclusion of piecemeal approach where all the issues will be directed by separate drafted bills. President Mr. Barak Obama also supported this theory. At that point of time, people really considered that now congress is serious enough to pass this law in this year itself. it was a ray of hope which never emerged. Thousands of people marched, protested for the bill but in vein.
However, vice president Joe Biden promised yesterday that Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill will surely implement as law, since majority of both, Republicans and Democrats understand urgency of this law. Senate passed this bill in summer of this year but GOP house leaders opposed to bring the bill to vote in house.
Sylvia Ruiz, the Service Employees International Union official who is leading the fast, held in Capitol Hill, in favor of Immigration Reform bill, told to Dana Milbank from Washington Post, that they wrote two letters to house speaker John Boehner about starting conversation with them, but he never responded.
Immigration Law has been annoying United States from last 30 years. We really need a strong Immigration law which strengthens our nation’s integrity and Security and also give a fair chance to immigrants, who really want to contribute to United States America in better way. Let’s hope our house people become more serious towards this issue and come out with profound solution.
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