The Tech Lobby Will Never Be Happy
“Immigration reform might not be able to fix every shortcoming of U.S. policy. The risk now is that it might make the system worse. This is what will happen if the bipartisan “Gang of 8” senators’ proposal to change the high-skilled visa program is included in the final legislation, all in the name of protecting American jobs. The only jobs protected will be those of labor bureaucrats,” says Shikha Dalmia.
“The proposed measure would raise the base H-1B visa cap from 65,000 to 110,000 immediately and up to 180,000 subsequently. It would also offer 25,000 visas, up from 20,000, to foreign students who graduate from U.S. universities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.”
“Although the changes aren’t adequate, they would have represented progress had the Gang of 8’s plan left it at that. In exchange for these fixes, however, the measure would hand the Labor Department sweeping new powers over employers to ensure that they don’t replace Americans with foreign nationals.”
False Claims About the Amnesty Bill
“It gives me no pleasure to say this, but it’s increasingly clear that Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) hasn’t completely read the immigration bill he’s touting. It seems like every day, another claim made by defenders of the Gang of Eight bill gets shot down by critics who actually have read through all 844 pages,” says John Hayward at RedState.com.
“Personally, I was most immediately and deeply skeptical of the claim that our “new Americans” would be expected to pay back taxes and fines, in exchange for amnesty. I’ve just never been able to imagine such an imperative actually working in practice, particularly when administered by the same government that insists those 11 or 12 million illegal aliens are untraceable phantoms who can’t possibly be arrested or deported.”
Amnesty Bill Would Bring in 33 Million
“The pending Senate immigration bill would bring a minimum of 33 million people into the country during its first decade of operation, according to an analysis by NumbersUSA, a group that wants to slow the current immigration rate. By 2024, the inflow would include an estimated 9.2 million illegal immigrants, plus 2.5 million illegals who arrived as children — dubbed ‘Dreamers’ — plus roughly 3.4 million company-sponsored employees with university degrees, said the unreleased analysis,” the Daily Caller writes.
California Bill Would Allow Non-Citizen Jurors
“The California State Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to remove the requirement in state law that jurors be U.S. citizens,” US News reports.
“The bill, AB 1401, passed the state assembly with 45 votes in favor and 25 votes in opposition and now goes to the state senate.”
“The legislation allows the jury pool to be extended to ‘lawfully present immigrants.’ Potential jurors are pulled from state Department of Motor Vehicles records. The bill does not drop the requirement that would-be jurors speak English.”