Today on Capitol Hill, House Republicans, led by Reps. Lamar Smith (R-TX), Elton Gallegly (R-CA), and Steve King (R-IA), unveiled the top bill on their anti-immigration agenda: a plan to make all employers in America use the deeply flawed E-Verify program to check the immigration status of their workers....
Continue
»
It's going to be a long, hot summer for anyone who cares about sensible immigration reform, now that Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) is in charge of the House Judiciary Committee. After guiding a trio of extremely misguided immigration proposals into law in 1996, Rep. Smith is back in...
Continue
»
As the Republican race for the party's presidential nomination begins and the 2012 cycle kicks off in earnest, the GOP's stance on immigration and its related ability to compete for Latino voters will be major storylines. In a report released today, Why Do Elephants Put their Heads in...
Continue
»
Jun 10, 2011
The news that Alabama Governor Robert Bentley (R-AL) signed into law a new "papers, please" immigration bill is a new low point for state-based immigration policy, an unfortunate reminder of Alabama and the South's tortured racial history, and another wake-up call to Washington to fix the broken immigration system....
Continue
»
Polling released today from Latino Decisions and impreMedia shows that Latino voters prioritize immigration, and do so because they view the issue through a personal lens. The findings hold important lessons for both political parties as the 2012 cycle begins. Among the key findings...Immigration the top priority...
Continue
»
Yesterday, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (D-MA) announced that his state will join Illinois and New York in declining to participate in the federal government's failed "Secure Communities" deportation program. The state of California, through the TRUST Act legislation that passed the State Assembly and now awaits action in...
Continue
»
Jun 6, 2011
As Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) gears up to make the ineffective E-Verify program mandatory as a cornerstone of his overall mass-deportation goal, a new Associated Press article highlights what's at stake in the congressional battle ahead. Rep. Smith and the Republicans' push for E-Verify will wreak major...
Continue
»
Yesterday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) suspended his state's participation in the ineffective Secure Communities deportation program, due to concerns over its impact on community policing and public safety. In his letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Gov. Cuomo said that "The heart of concern...
Continue
»
There he goes again. This time, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX)--the GOP's top political strategist for Latino outreach--is taking on asylum-seekers fleeing persecution and seeking freedom in America. Today, Smith's House Judiciary Committee is marking up the "Keep Our Communities Safe Act," H.R. 1932. This made-for-TV show...
Continue
»
Yesterday's Supreme Court ruling to uphold Arizona's law requiring state businesses use the E-Verify system strikes a crushing blow to the Arizona agriculture industry. If other states follow Arizona's lead, or if Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) gets his wish and rams through a mandatory E-Verify law this summer,...
Continue
»
