White House Seeks Tech Lobby Help on Amnesty
The Democrats’ strategy for achieving immigration reform is coming into view: promise the tech industry what it wants in exchange for help lobbying for a comprehensive solution. That message was on display yet again on Wednesday when Deputy Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank addressed a gathering of tech chief executives here,” Politico reports.
Evangelical Groups Try Religious Appeals on Amnesty
“The call-in campaign [to Sen. Rubio by evangelical groups]demonstrates an intensifying push by evangelical Christians, a key part of the Republican Party base, in favor of revamping immigration laws in ways most Republicans have until recently rejected,” says Bloomberg News.
“While some evangelical leaders have long favored an immigration revision, it’s only now — in the wake of the 2012 elections that spotlighted Republicans’ weakness with Hispanic voters — that they are stepping up their activism.”
Democrats Dilemma on High-Skilled Immigration
“In a world with no competing priorities, H-1B reform would pass easily. But for two political reasons, the change is being held up in Congress,” says Nextgov.com.
“Senate lawmakers who are most involved with immigration legislation–the so-called Gang of Eight–would prefer to see a comprehensive deal. That’s also the position President Obama has taken. The trick lies in corralling enough Republicans to support a total-package process, as opposed to striking a set of smaller agreements. Carving out skilled immigration might lead to an easy bipartisan win, but it would give ammunition to piecemealers and risk fracturing the Gang of Eight.”
Half of Chicago Immigration Advice Centers Illegally Practice Law
“An undercover investigation of immigration services businesses, prompted after citizen complaints, has resulted in several of those businesses facing fines and license revocations,” NBCChicago.com says.
“Miguel Campos, an investigator with Chicago’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, said 24 of the 54 firms doing business as immigration service providers in the city were not in compliance with state and city ordinances that, among other things, strictly prohibits them from dispensing legal advice.”
Ann Coulter: Emptying the (Immigration) Prisons an Old Trick
“On Wednesday’s broadcast of Fox News Channel’s ‘Hannity,’ commentator Ann Coulter explained why it is important for conservatives to not give in to the temptation of ceding tough immigration laws for promises of border security,” says the Daily Caller.
“‘I actually do think enforcement first, thus let’s start with enforcement,’ Coulter said. ‘And I love how the media have sort of convinced Americans that building a wall on the border, ‘Well, that’s crazy — it’s like sending a man to Mars. We can’t do that.’ Why is this treated as something so outside of the bounds of rationality?'”