A new poll from Bendixen and Associates of 800 Hispanic voters across the country reveals an electorate that is leaning Democratic, but one that is very concerned over how the Democrats are handling the immigration issue. The poll, commissioned by immigration advocacy group America's Voice, also shows Hispanic voters plan on voting in greater numbers than the general public in 2010.
WILL DEMOCRATS FUMBLE THE BALL WITH LATINO VOTERS?
A nice contrast to the Politico article I just posted about the GOP is this piece from Ruben Navarette on how the Democrats could be right back where they were before 2006 with Latino voters if they fail to deliver on immigration reform.
CAN THE GOP BRING BACK LATINO VOTERS?
Politico has a great article discussing the abandonment of the GOP by Hispanic voters and how some in the Republican Party are trying to bring them back.
IMMIGRATION HUMOR: HOMER SIMPSON STARTS THE SPRINGFIELD MINUTEMEN
One of my long-time paralegals at Siskind Susser, PC is Esther Schacther Fridman. Esther, who grew up here in Memphis, is the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors. In 2005, she married Benny Fridman, an Israeli who was on a work visa in Memphis at the time. The two moved to Israel shortly thereafter and Esther continues working with the firm on writing projects. Esther and Benny are the subject of a new documentary which premiered in Memphis last night. The union of Esther and Benny is unusual - their eight grandparents were all Holocaust survivors.
I am friends with two of Esther's grandparents who are quite well and living here in Memphis. The two were part of the first group of refugees to enter the United States as actual refugees. They were beneficiaries of the US signing the United Nations Convention on Refugees and it is that treaty which has shaped US refugee and asylum policy for the last 60 years.
There are now only 30 Holocaust survivors remanining in Memphis. But even after that generation is gone, there are thousands of refugees here representing a rich variety of nationalities, ethnicities, religions and cultures. Their presence will be an enduring reminder of America's commitment to welcome those around the world fleeing oppression and our continuing to accept and aid refugees is something about which our country can be proud.
May 17, 2009
Interesting commentary from a source that has recently taken other anti-immigrant positions.
Vivek Wadhwa always has interesting things to say about skilled immigrants. Here is a snippet from his recent Business Week commentary:
By eliminating the more onerous characteristics of the H-1B program, such a bill would probably diminish abuses. If H-1B workers could accept a job from a competitor for a higher wage, it's likely their real wages would match market rates. Critics might argue that an influx of workers would depress wages, but that seems to espouse the notion that IT workers are no better than factory employees, subject to strict laws of supply and demand. I don't think that's the case, and I believe that more smart people in the U.S. will actually create jobs and therefore benefit all U.S. tech workers by growing the total knowledge-employment pie.
Here are four reasons I believe this: Immigrant workers are significantly more likely to launch new companies. Immigrant workers are also far more likely to launch technology companies. Technology companies have accounted for a disproportionate percentage of economic growth in the U.S. in the past four decades. And new companies hire far more new employees than old companies. In fact, companies less than five years old accounted for nearly all of the net jobs growth in the U.S. over the past two decades. Add those four facts together and it's easy to conclude that what the U.S. needs are more immigrant technology workers rather than fewer.
He also has some interesting comments about immigrants and the housing market.
Sorry for the light posting over the last few days. I spoke Friday to the Chicago Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and spoke yesterday in Houston at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists about physician immigration rules.
I have a pile of articles I wanted to point out to readers and will simply list them in this one post.
Mexican Data Show Migration to US in Decline - The NY Times Julia Preston reports on this trend. Is the drop in the illegally present immigrant population declining because of the economy or because of strong enforcement. I contend it is a combination of both which puts me at odds with both anti-immigrant groups which insist that enforcement is the sole reason and pro-immigrant groups which don't want people to think enforcement actually has an impact.
Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and Congressman Adam Putnam (R-FL) are leading a bipartisan effort to push through the AgJobs bill that has been introduced in prior years. Like the DREAM Act, this one has bipartisan support that is broader than the general comprehensive immigration reform bill. It could also be a test vote that will give an idea of whether immigration reform has a chance this year. Here's another site with information. And another.
ICE has issued an odd statement denying responsibility for the death of a Cuban detainee in Texas. I'm not aware of any accusations saying they were responsible, but I guess given the recent history, people are suspicious.
America's Voice applauds pro-immigration Florida Governor Charlie Crist for entering the race to replace pro-immigration Republican Mel Martinez in the US Senate.
Down to Business: What if Major League Baseball had H-1B Caps? - Information Week's Rob Preston has an excellent opinion piece on why H-1B caps make us less competitive.
Immigrant Home Ownership Proves Resilient in the Face of Slowdown - The Washington Post reports on how immigrants are making the housing bust less worse than it might otherwise be.
DHS Chief Janet Napolitano talks tough on immigration - From Govexec.com.
May 14, 2009
Sam Stein of the liberal Huffington Post has written a column reporting on pro-immigration America's Voice and their criticism of the Republicans new leader on the Senate Immigration Subcommittee. According to Stein:
There is no evidence that Sessions holds some of the most extreme views of the individuals and groups he has associated with, and they have no large-scale financial links to the senator. But the report by America's Voice illuminates just where Sessions stands and who he associates with on one of the big political issues to confront Congress in the years ahead. And they build upon earlier reporting linking the senator to racially inflammatory views.
The America's Voice report documents how Sessions has regularly appeared with or joined political causes backed by groups founded by Tanton, including the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), NumbersUSA -- which named Sessions its "2008 Defender of the Rule of Law" -- and the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR.) The senator also received a $1,000 donation from the U.S Immigration Reform, a political action committee founded by Tanton's wife.
Sessions' office did not immediately return a request for comment.
According to a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center, these groups have served as vehicles for getting quasi-Nativist rhetoric inserted into the mainstream immigration debate. They are, indeed, an oft-quoted source for reporters writing about the topic. Tanton, meanwhile, was described by SPLC as the founder of "the racist Social Contract Press," and a correspondent "with Holocaust deniers, white nationalist intellectuals and Klan lawyers for decades." Interestingly enough, his work on conservation causes earlier in life was lauded by environmentalists.
For Sessions' critics, the ties to Tanton and his groups gain even more import now that the senator will be playing such an integral role in the immigration debate. But they are also a reflection of a political career that has been defined by anti-immigration rhetoric and legislation. Sessions has supported the construction of a fence along the Mexican border and opposed the establishment of a guest worker program. One of the fiercest opponents of the massive immigration reform effort that died in the Senate two years ago, he once dubbed the effort the "Terrorist Assistance and Facilitation Act of 2007."
H-1B VISAS BARELY GETTING USED
USCIS has announced that for the third week in a row, the H-1B count sits at 45,000 out of 65,000 used. I presume this means that just a few hundred cases are being processed per week which is simply remarkable when you consider that there has been a lottery for H-1B numbers for the past two years.
In my view, this is solid evidence that H-1B workers are not cheaper than their American counterparts. When one factors in the government fees, lawyer costs, travel expenses, etc. and the fact that employers are required to pay the prevailing wage for a job, the truth emerges - H-1B workers are often quite a bit more expensive than their American counterparts. If H-1Bs were cheap labor, then wouldn't employers be hiring more of them to replace expensive American workers?
About The Author
Greg Siskind is a partner in Siskind Susser's Memphis, Tennessee, office. After graduating magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University, he received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Chicago. Mr. Siskind is a member of AILA, a board member of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and a member of the ABA, where he serves on the LPM Publishing Board as Marketing Vice Chairman. He is the author of several books, including the J Visa Guidebook and The Lawyer's Guide to Marketing on the Internet. Mr. Siskind practices all areas of immigration law, specializing in immigration matters of the health care and technology industries. He can be reached by email at gsiskind@visalaw.com
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