Please call your senators about CIR:
"Compete America Calls Senate “Merit-Based” Visa Proposal Unworkable in Present Form
U.S. Innovation Economy Not Advanced in Current Proposal:
http://www.competeamerica.org/news/alliance_pr/20070518_ca_merit_based.html
http://www.aila.com/
Urge Fair, Workable Immigration Reform!
A group of Senators have announced that their backroom negotiations over immigration reform have produced a "grand bargain." Unfortunately, this "bargain" raises major concerns. Urge Congress to support fair, meaningful reform and reject unworkable backroom deals. Call your senators today!
Here is the artice from WSJ:
Tug-of-War Breaks Out
Over Immigration Bill
By SARAH LUECK and JUNE KRONHOLZ
May 19, 2007
Copyrights:The Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON -- With the Senate's fragile immigration compromise facing its first test next week, lawmakers and interest groups on all sides of the debate began pushing Friday for major changes to the plan.
Businesses want more flexibility to fill their labor needs than they would get under the proposed merit-based visa system. Immigrant-advocacy groups vowed to fight changes they said would disadvantage low-skilled workers and break up families. Some Democrats opposed a temporary-worker program they said would create a permanent underclass, while Republicans balked at allowing millions of illegal immigrants to remain in the U.S.
The proposal, unveiled this week by a handful of senators on both sides of the aisle, could be the last shot at resolving one of President Bush's top priorities and answering one of the country's most intractable questions: What to do with an estimated 12 million immigrants who are here illegally, but who do jobs that are critical to the economy, from picking apples to cleaning bathrooms?
This week's deal would try to step up border security and set up a system for companies to verify their workers are legal. Immigrants in the country illegally before Jan. 1, 2007, would be able to remain and eventually apply to become citizens. Temporary-visa programs would create a path for some workers to get citizenship eventually.
The Senate is set to debate the bill next week, and leaders are considering imposing a limit on the number of amendments that would be allowed in the hope of voting before the scheduled Memorial Day recess.
All sides in the debate will need to swallow things they may not like. Democrats supportive of the deal will have to convince their colleagues that it is worth accepting the temporary-worker program in exchange for winning legalization of some illegal immigrants already here. Many Republicans say giving illegal immigrants citizenship is rewarding bad behavior, but they may accept that in order to win a more secure border.
MORE
• Illegal Worker Reaction to Deal Is Split
5/19/07
"You're going to lose some people on the left who think the temporary-worker program goes too far, and you're going to lose some people on the right who think it's amnesty," said Randel Johnson, of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "I think in the end there will be enough votes to pass it."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said she wouldn't bring up immigration legislation in the House unless the White House can guarantee support from at least 70 Republicans. That is a heavy lift, even with conservatives such as Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona and Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia supporting the tentative Senate deal.
"What is it that conservatives get out of this?" asked Rep. Steve King (R., Iowa). Maybe Mr. Kyl "did strike the best deal he could in the Senate," Mr. King said. "Why did he strike a deal at all, though, if that's the best he can do?"
Even constituencies that appear to benefit from the Senate legislation, such as high-tech businesses, were skeptical. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.), Microsoft Corp. said the plan to distribute visas using a points system "would take hiring decisions out of the hands of employers and could potentially harm the technology industry."
Compete America, a coalition of business groups and high-technology employers including Google Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co., expressed "serious concerns" in a letter to Sen. Kyl. It insisted that high-tech employers need access to far more immigrant visas than the 140,000 a year they now have. That has been a long-running complaint among this group.
Currently, employers recruit the workers they need, and typically sponsor them for a temporary work visa. After a year or two, they help valued workers apply for an immigrant visa or green card. Under the new system, employers still could recruit and sponsor workers for a temporary visa. But those workers then would apply for permanent status themselves, competing with everyone else around the world. That could result in, for example, too many history teachers and not enough electrical engineers getting work permits, businesses fear.
Immigrant advocacy groups said that, depending on the details of the points system, lower-skilled temporary workers may have too hard a time getting green cards. "It looks more like chances of winning the lottery than [the] chances of getting in under our current immigration system," said Cecilia Muñoz, of the National Council of La Raza, a Latino advocacy group.
The bill also splits the labor unions. John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO, denounced the guest-worker plan, saying it would allow in thousands of temporary workers who wouldn't be covered by union protections and would be subjected to "virtual servitude."
The Latino Coalition, a Washington advocacy group, charged that the AFL-CIO was "choosing to stand in the way of the best interests of our community."
Write to Sarah Lueck at sarah.lueck@wsj.com and June Kronholz at june.kronholz@wsj.com
"Compete America Calls Senate “Merit-Based” Visa Proposal Unworkable in Present Form
U.S. Innovation Economy Not Advanced in Current Proposal:
http://www.competeamerica.org/news/alliance_pr/20070518_ca_merit_based.html
http://www.aila.com/
Urge Fair, Workable Immigration Reform!
A group of Senators have announced that their backroom negotiations over immigration reform have produced a "grand bargain." Unfortunately, this "bargain" raises major concerns. Urge Congress to support fair, meaningful reform and reject unworkable backroom deals. Call your senators today!
Here is the artice from WSJ:
Tug-of-War Breaks Out
Over Immigration Bill
By SARAH LUECK and JUNE KRONHOLZ
May 19, 2007
Copyrights:The Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON -- With the Senate's fragile immigration compromise facing its first test next week, lawmakers and interest groups on all sides of the debate began pushing Friday for major changes to the plan.
Businesses want more flexibility to fill their labor needs than they would get under the proposed merit-based visa system. Immigrant-advocacy groups vowed to fight changes they said would disadvantage low-skilled workers and break up families. Some Democrats opposed a temporary-worker program they said would create a permanent underclass, while Republicans balked at allowing millions of illegal immigrants to remain in the U.S.
The proposal, unveiled this week by a handful of senators on both sides of the aisle, could be the last shot at resolving one of President Bush's top priorities and answering one of the country's most intractable questions: What to do with an estimated 12 million immigrants who are here illegally, but who do jobs that are critical to the economy, from picking apples to cleaning bathrooms?
This week's deal would try to step up border security and set up a system for companies to verify their workers are legal. Immigrants in the country illegally before Jan. 1, 2007, would be able to remain and eventually apply to become citizens. Temporary-visa programs would create a path for some workers to get citizenship eventually.
The Senate is set to debate the bill next week, and leaders are considering imposing a limit on the number of amendments that would be allowed in the hope of voting before the scheduled Memorial Day recess.
All sides in the debate will need to swallow things they may not like. Democrats supportive of the deal will have to convince their colleagues that it is worth accepting the temporary-worker program in exchange for winning legalization of some illegal immigrants already here. Many Republicans say giving illegal immigrants citizenship is rewarding bad behavior, but they may accept that in order to win a more secure border.
MORE
• Illegal Worker Reaction to Deal Is Split
5/19/07
"You're going to lose some people on the left who think the temporary-worker program goes too far, and you're going to lose some people on the right who think it's amnesty," said Randel Johnson, of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "I think in the end there will be enough votes to pass it."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said she wouldn't bring up immigration legislation in the House unless the White House can guarantee support from at least 70 Republicans. That is a heavy lift, even with conservatives such as Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona and Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia supporting the tentative Senate deal.
"What is it that conservatives get out of this?" asked Rep. Steve King (R., Iowa). Maybe Mr. Kyl "did strike the best deal he could in the Senate," Mr. King said. "Why did he strike a deal at all, though, if that's the best he can do?"
Even constituencies that appear to benefit from the Senate legislation, such as high-tech businesses, were skeptical. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.), Microsoft Corp. said the plan to distribute visas using a points system "would take hiring decisions out of the hands of employers and could potentially harm the technology industry."
Compete America, a coalition of business groups and high-technology employers including Google Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co., expressed "serious concerns" in a letter to Sen. Kyl. It insisted that high-tech employers need access to far more immigrant visas than the 140,000 a year they now have. That has been a long-running complaint among this group.
Currently, employers recruit the workers they need, and typically sponsor them for a temporary work visa. After a year or two, they help valued workers apply for an immigrant visa or green card. Under the new system, employers still could recruit and sponsor workers for a temporary visa. But those workers then would apply for permanent status themselves, competing with everyone else around the world. That could result in, for example, too many history teachers and not enough electrical engineers getting work permits, businesses fear.
Immigrant advocacy groups said that, depending on the details of the points system, lower-skilled temporary workers may have too hard a time getting green cards. "It looks more like chances of winning the lottery than [the] chances of getting in under our current immigration system," said Cecilia Muñoz, of the National Council of La Raza, a Latino advocacy group.
The bill also splits the labor unions. John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO, denounced the guest-worker plan, saying it would allow in thousands of temporary workers who wouldn't be covered by union protections and would be subjected to "virtual servitude."
The Latino Coalition, a Washington advocacy group, charged that the AFL-CIO was "choosing to stand in the way of the best interests of our community."
Write to Sarah Lueck at sarah.lueck@wsj.com and June Kronholz at june.kronholz@wsj.com
