[ALBSA-Info] IMMIGRATION UPDATE

[irma spaho]

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>9. Amnesty and Targeted Legalization Legislation
>
>by Maurice Belanger
>Senior Policy Associate
>National Immigration Forum
>
>In February, the AFL-CIO executive council unanimously approved a 
>resolution
>calling for, among other things, the legalization of undocumented workers
>in the U.S.  The call for a new amnesty reflects the labor movement's
>understanding that, by virtue of their status,undocumented workers are
>vulnerable to unscrupulous employers and more difficult to organize.  The
>AFL-CIO came to understand that legalization of undocumented workers will
>help all workers.
>
>The Federation's dramatic announcement has created excitement in immigrant
>communities throughout the U.S.  Last month, 20,000 people turned out for
>an AFL-CIO-sponsored town meeting in Los Angeles, calling for an 
>unconditional
>amnesty.  This and other demonstrations around the country have been widely
>reported in the press, particularly the Spanish-language press, raising the
>expectations of immigrants for whom the prospect of a green card will put
>an end to years of underground existence. Many undocumented immigrants and
>their advocates believe that an amnesty is just around the corner.
>
>Despite the sea change in organized labor's official stance on immigration,
>there has been no sea change in Congress.  To many in Congress, calls for a
>general amnesty sound too much like calls for rewarding some for violating
>immigration laws that Congress only recently spent considerable energy
>toughening. Until a general amnesty has broader support among their
>constituents outside of immigrant communities, few, if any, members of
>Congress will support a proposal for an unconditional amnesty.  None has
>been introduced thus far.
>
>Working with these realities, advocates in Washington have attempted to
>assess the chances of various proposals to make our immigration laws more
>generous.  That necessitates a narrower focus.  The proposals with the best
>chance of success this year are what is commonly known as the Central
>American parity legislation and legislation to update the Registry cutoff
>date.  The restoration of Section 245(I) of the Immigration Act, which
>would allow those qualifying for immigrant visas to obtain their visas in
>the U.S. without being forced to leave and being barred from reentry, also
>has decent prospects this year.  Advocates are also calling for the
>reduction in family-based immigration backlogs.
>
>The good news is that calls for a general amnesty and for more targeted
>legalization programs are not incompatible activities.  The press coverage
>of labor's new call for amnesty has drawn attention to the plight of the
>undocumented.  Over time, this could build support in the general public
>for proposals that may, in the future, be introduced in Congress.  The
>attention to immigrants--undocumented and legal residents--and their
>contribution to our economy helps lay the groundwork for more generous
>policies.
>
>The advance work being done now may well bear fruit in a new Congress.
>Regardless of which party controls the House after the upcoming elections,
>this is Lamar Smith's last year as Chairman of the Immigration 
>Subcommittee;
>he is at the end of term limits for Committee Chairs set by majority
>Republican party agreement.  Quite possibly, the composition of a new
>Congress will be more pro-immigrant.
>
>Some fear that legislation to move up the registry cutoff date will kill
>prospects for a broader legalization program.  (Legislation introduced in
>Congress and supported by the White House would, if passed, allow
>undocumented immigrants to apply for permanent residence if they have
>resided in the U.S. since January 1, 1986.)  In reality, working with
>Congress always involves compromises, as Congress responds to a range of
>constituencies with an eye to the prospects for re-election.  Advocates
>will ask for what is achievable in a given year, and then go back the next
>year and ask for what can be achieved in the new year.  An all-or-nothing
>approach is likely to be frustrating in the short-term, and may require
>several years of sustained campaigning before anything is accomplished.
>
>Both goals can and should be pursued simultaneously as appropriate.
>Getting a broad new legalization program through Congress is a project that
>may take several years to bear fruit.  In the meantime, advocates should
>also pursue opportunities that will ultimately result in green cards for
>hundreds of thousands of immigrants, and security for their families.
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