The breakdown on Obama...

Hey Bloggers,

Sorry for the delay… I have given you all the info on the Republican Candidates and their points on immigration. This week I am going to give you the breakdown of President Obama’s points on immigration and a little background on our current president.

Barack Obama is the 44^th President of the US and a Senator from Illinois. He was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 2004, and served from January 3, 2005, to November 16, 2008. He was then elected as the 44th President of the United States on November 4, 2008, and was inaugurated on January 20, 2009. More Info. He is also running for presidency in the 2012 election.

So now we are getting to the good stuff. Obama’s Points on Immigration:

• Stop expelling talented undocumented workers. (Jan 2011)
• Send 1,200 National Guard troops to southern border. (Nov 2010)
• Anti-immigrant bitterness stems from joblessness. (Jan 2010)
• Crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants. (Jul 2008)
• Recognize the humanity of immigrants: Todos somos Americanos. (Jun 2008)
• Encourage every student to learn a second language. (Feb 2008)
• Have border patrolled, surveillance, and deploy technology. (Feb 2008)
• Deporting 12 million people is ridiculous and impractical. (Feb 2008)
• Immigration raids are ineffective. (Feb 2008)
• Immigrants are scapegoats for high unemployment rates. (Jan 2008)
• Health plan: not enough resources for illegal immigrants. (Jan 2008)
• Illegals shouldn’t work; but should have path to citizenship. (Dec 2007)
• OK to provide government services in Spanish. (Dec 2007)
• Comprehensive solution includes employers & borders. (Nov 2007)
• Support granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. (Nov 2007)
• Illegal immigrants’ lack of ID is a public safety concern. (Oct 2007)
• Immigration system is broken for legal immigrants. (Sep 2007)
• Reform must include more border security, and border wall. (Sep 2007)
• Pathway to citizenship, but people have to earn it. (Aug 2007)
• Let’s be a nation of laws AND a nation of immigrants. (Aug 2007)
• Do a better job patrolling the Canadian and Mexican borders. (Jun 2007)
• Give immigrants who are here a rigorous path to citizenship. (Jun 2007)
• Extend welfare and Medicaid to immigrants. (Jul 1998)
• Support the DREAM Act for the children of illegal immigrants. (Jan 2008)
• Voted YES on comprehensive immigration reform. (Jun 2007)
• Voted NO on declaring English as the official language of the US government. (Jun 2007)
• Voted YES on building a fence along the Mexican border. (Sep 2006)
• Voted YES on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security. (May 2006)
• Comprehensive immigration reform without amnesty. (May 2005)
• For more info ClickHere

I know the president is keeping busy with all this information but tell me what do you think about our President’s time in The Oval office.

`Till the next blog

-V

I present to you the GOP Candidates...

Immigration is a very important issue for the 2012 election. So I decided to do all the research for you and give you the breakdown of the top GOP candidates. Mr. Obama will come later...
So without further ado, I present to you the GOP candidates...

Rick Perry: Governor of Texas, he is the longest consecutively running US governor.

"It is time to get America working again and that's why with the support of my family and the unwavering belief of the goodness of America I declare for you today that I'm a candidate for President of the United States."

• ·      Pros: known for his change in Texas which leads to a growth in the economy and in jobs. Tea Party appeal
• ·      Cons: Known “For my way or the highway attitude”

Mitt Romney: Former governor of Massachusetts. Ran for president in 2008.

"From my first day in office, my No. 1 job will be to see that America once again is No. 1 in job creation."

• ·       Pro: Strong name identification; experience with campaigns
• ·       Con: the controversial mandates of a healthcare act passed while he was governor in Massachusetts

Ron Paul: 75 years old. Current US Congressmen; ran for president in 1988 as libertarian and again in 2008 as a republican.

"Time has come around to the point where the people are agreeing with much of what I've been saying for 30 years."

• ·      Pros: Attracts many libertarian followers
• ·      Cons: Is against some important GOP positions. Like Iraq/Afghanistan and legalizing drugs

Michele Bachmann: 55 years old, Congresswoman, has never run for president

""I seek the presidency not for vanity, but because America is at a crucial moment and I believe that we must make a bold choice if we are to secure the promise of the future."

• ·      Pro: Strong Tea Party appeal
• ·      Con: Polarizing figure, narrow experience in political atmosphere

Rick Santorum: a former Republican senator from Pennsylvania; social conservative

"We're ready to announce that we are going to be in this race and we're in it to win."

• ·      Pro: known for senator position and actions; proven to raise money
• ·      Con: has never run for president; comes through as too conservative. 

Gary Johnson: The former New Mexico governor; ran for president in 2000 election

"You can't deny that I am the underdog."

• ·    Pros: has a lost of business management experience; attracts business owners; proven can raise money
• ·      Cons: has limited political experience

So now that you know them. What do you think? Are you going to vote for them or are you going to vote for Mr. Obama?

`Till Next Blog
-V

All information taken from abcnews.com

GOP's and Immigration

Last week I gave you a small glimpse into the GOP candidate's bios and so this week I am going to give you their stance on the immigration issue.

Mitt Romney:

• ·      favors completing a high-tech border fence
• ·       Requiring employers to use electronic databases to verify employees' legal status.

Rick Perry:

• ·      supports a 2001 Texas law that allows children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state college tuition
• ·      signed a law banning illegal immigrants from receiving driver's licenses
• ·      Backed a proposal to allow local police officers to inquire whether detainees are in the country legally.
• ·      Opposes the proposed federal Dream Act.

Ron Paul:

• ·      end the automatic granting of citizenship to children born to illegal immigrants, a process that he asserts encourages people to come to the U.S. only to have children
• ·      he would also "abolish the welfare state," which he claims is also an incentive for people to come to the U.S. illegally
• ·      he would also enhance border security
• ·      prevent "amnesty" programs, among other plans

Michele Bachmann:

• ·      Does not approve of Perry’s law that allows children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state college tuition saying that it isn't the "American way."
• ·      supports the construction of a fence along the entire southern U.S. border.

Rick Santorum:

• ·      against any type of amnesty that would grant immigrants legal status
• ·      believes in strengthening borders

Gary Johnson:

• ·      Supports temporary work visas for immigrants.
• ·      opposes border fences
• ·      Supports employer verification systems.

This is their opinion on Immigration, so what is yours?

 `Till next blog
-V

All information takes from nationaljournal.com and candidate's website. 

Immigrants are Important!!!

How do I know??? Because Long Island needs them.

20% of Long Island’s working population is an illegal immigrant. 22% of immigrants are business owners, 16% are mangers or executives and another 22% have professional jobs. Of all the illegal immigrants in Long Island the average amount of taxes paid annually is two thousand dollars per family in state and federal taxes.

According to immigrationdirect.com Seth Forman of the Long Island Regional Planning Council told the Wall Street Journal “they did not consider how immigrants drain resources.” While other Long Island officials have provided the above numbers to show that Long Island benefits from the illegal immigrants working in their city.

The above numbers prove that while immigrant s are not here legally they still are a resource this country does not know how to appreciate. This clearly shows that these people pay taxes and legally provide for their family and they bring revenue and money to the city. Now Long Island does not have such a big population of immigrants, if we states such as California and Texas released numbers like the above the importance and significance of immigrants would drastically increase. So I once again say… Immigrants ARE Important.

Immigrants From All Over!!!

I have a question… Why is it that when we think of immigrants we automatically think of Hispanics? Whenever anyone talks about immigrants they talk about hopping the border and the Mexicans crossing the river but when will they consider all the other immigrants there are?

While Mexico does provide the largest amount of immigrants, 70 % of immigrants come from the Eastern Hemisphere of our planet. China and the Philippines are the second and third largest population of immigrants. While they are now the second and third they are rapidly growing and catching up. Among the top 10 foreign born population percentage is Korea, Canada, Cuba, India, Dominican Republic and Vietnam. As we can see the vast majority of immigrants in this country are not Mexican or Spanish at all. Most of them are European, Indian and Asian.

So, all I ask is for immigrants to stop meaning Mexicans. When we walk through New Jersey and we look around 57% of the people we encounter will be foreign born. If we walk around New York 35% of the people will be foreign born. When we look around at these immigrants we will notice that they all look completely different, come from different corners of the world and all deserve the same amount of respect. 

California gives hope...

Hello Bloggers,

So, I was looking around the web to find something to write about and I came across this

NYtimes Article. At first I was completely taken aback and surprised. I was not aware that California had passed a version of the Dream Act. I was very excited and then I finished reading the article.

California has passed a version of the Dream Act (in two bills) that would allow students without a social security number to:

·         Apply and be approved for private scholarships and loans

·         Pay instate tuition rates to students who can prove they are on the road to becoming legalized citizens

·         Apply for State aid with proof of being in the process of gaining citizenship

The second half of this bill requires that these immigrant students meet the same requirements as all other students in the system and only qualify after all other legal residents have applied.

While this bill provides some hope to the students in California it doesn’t shine as brightly as the Dream act. The Dream Act provided these illegal students an opportunity to gain citizenship through the Dream Act. This California Act does not provide any hope of that kind.

I believe we are moving towards the right direction, thousands of deserving students will now be able to attend college and keep dreaming of a better tomorrow. Kudos Cali…

`Till Next Blog

-V

Politics no longer involves Immigration (I thought it did)...

Did you watch the Republican presidential primary debate in New Hampshire on October 11? If you didn’t, you didn’t miss much; expect some serious skirting around the issue of immigration. Considering all that has happened recently with deportations and the lack of action on the government’s side you would think these presidential candidates would want to get their voices heard. Well, they don’t. Instead they took the easy way out and avoided the subject all together.

Not only was I upset with this coward move on behalf of the republicans but twitter was also upset. Fox News quoted @rramirez44 saying “100 minutes of debate and GOP candidates haven't mentioned how they'd fix the broken immigration system, which hurts economy”. In 140 characters or less Mr. Ramirez has said what many have been thinking; well maybe all except the republican candidates.  

Once again, I call to action the men and women of our government to do something. Don’t try to hide the sun with one finger (my mother’s favorite saying) it is not going to work. We all feel the sunshine and it is not  the good kind. The country needs leadership and we need to know that the government is taking care of the thousands on thousands of people who have been left on a limbo because of this inaction on behalf of our government.

All that’s left now is to see how Mr. Obama avoids the issue.

Till next blog

-V

Tsk, Tsk, Tsk... Alabama What have you done???

Last week immigrants everywhere lost a battle against Alabama. Alabama has made effective the harshest anti-immigration laws in the country. They passed a new law that will make living in Alabama as an illegal immigrant impossible.

The bill says:

• ·         Police officers will have the legal right to act as immigration officers and inquire about immigration status from anyone they find “suspicious”.
• ·         Any and all contracts that are signed by illegal immigrants are automatically forfeited and legally useless
• ·         Providing an immigrant with a car or a ride is now illegal
• ·         All business will have to check immigration status through E-Verify
• ·         All landlords who knowingly rent to illegal immigrants can be legally prosecuted for harboring a fugitive
• ·         This new law has also reached a new level by allowing school officials to question students on their immigration status and that of their parents.

Schools in Alabama are reporting that children all over the state have started to mysteriously disappear; they aren’t attending school for fear of being deported. Certain districts have reported having a high percentage of students withdrawing from school in order to move. Alabama, what have you done? These children aren’t leaving the country, they are crossing the border to other states and in the mean time they are losing valuable education.

Alabama has opened the doors to discrimination. All through the state anybody who might look “Spanish” will be stopped and questioned by police officers. Adults and children will be asked to hand over their proof of legal citizenship and if you can’t immediate produce one; you will be handed over to immigration officials. Entire families will lose their homes, their jobs, their lives because of fear. No one in Alabama would want to provide employment to anyone who might look Spanish because of the new laws and their repercussions.

What happened to “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” I can tell you that people all over Alabama are not feeling free, they are feeling scared. They are feeling the need to run and hide. People who are here legally or illegally all fear what will become of them with these new laws. People are losing their homes and leaving behind bravery in the search for safety. Things will get worse for everyone as long as the federal government stands back and lets states decide what to do with federal issues. The government needs to get their act together and pass a reform bill that will benefit America and the people that live in it.


`Till the next blog
-V

Obama pushes "Pause" on Deportations

Hey Bloggers,
This week I am going to express my ideas about the Presidents latest act on immigration.

President Obama has recently submitted guidelines where he asks that Washington reconsider case by case deportations. What does this ACTUALLY mean? It means that someone somewhere will review deportation cases one by one and decide whether they are serious enough to be deported or not serious enough and can stay in the country where their case will be reviewed. So, what does "serious" mean. If you have been convicted of a felony or have had numerous misdemeanors, Bon Voyage my friends because you will be on the next flight back to the country you came from. On the other hand, if you have citizen children, a clean record, been in this country for numerous years and/or have a legitimate reason for staying in the country, I wish you luck trying to find someone who will authorize the cancellation of your deportation notice before you have to board the plane. While this has provided some with hope for a better tomorrow those that are scheduled to leave in the next month or so are left hanging in the air. While Obama has made this petition official no real office has been setup to start these reviews. People on the verge of deportation need to hear the bell in order to be saved and there is no one to turn to.
Have you ever played with a kid brother or sister? Placed a piece of candy right above their reach and then watched as they jumped up and down, scratching and clawing as they try to reach the candy. This is exactly what the government is doing to immigrant families. They are watching as these people scratch and claw and try to find anything that will  help keep their families together and help keep them here in the US. Not cool Mr. President...

While I personally think this is just a temporary fix for something that deserves some serious attention, it is a start for immigrants everywhere who are anxious to get on with their life in the country they have lived for so long. So Bloggers, now it’s your turn tell me what your opinion is on the issue?

`Till the next blog
-V

Why Immigration?

I am a 20 year old female college student. I am due to graduate in May with my degree in  Early Childhood Education. You may ask why is a future teacher talking about Immigration? The Answer: It was an assignment for my writing for cyberspace class. The reason for the topic: I can empathize, Although I am not an immigrant to this country I personally know many great men and women who have discovered that they are considered aliens in the country they have grown to love among them some of my own family members.
I am going to talk about current issues in immigration, personal stories, stories of people I know and anything you as the reader might want to ask or comment on. I believe with the upcoming election and certain laws rolling around congress there will be a lot of material for me to comment about and inform you about. I am very interested in your opinions so please don't hesitate to comment with an idea, experience or opinion on anything related to immigration you might just give me the topic for next weeks blog... See you them