This Bill Can’t Be Fixed
“Paul has written about efforts to “fix” the Gang of Eight’s immigration bill by both the left and the right. In my view, the bill is flawed at its core, in multiple ways, and efforts to improve it are misguided. It cannot serve as a template for workable legislation. Here is why,” says John Hinderaker at Powerlineblog.
Are Canadian Regional Visas a Model for the U.S.?
“America’s cities are the engines of its growth. Though the immigration bill before Congress would help cities by increasing the flow of legal migrants, cities would be even better served by a bill that makes immigration decisions local. State governments are in a far better position to understand the immigration needs of the towns and cities within their borders. The federal government should allow them to sponsor region-based visas,” say Brandon Fuller and Sean Rust.
“Canada’s provincial-nominee program, the subject of recent articles by Shikha Dalmia and Nancy Scola, is popular and successful. The program gives participating Canadian provinces a greater say in selecting and recruiting immigrants. Unconstrained by the Ottawa consensus on immigration needs, the provinces are free to go out and recruit the immigrants that best suit their economic needs.”
No Valid Visa, Bomber Associate Still Re-Admitted to U.S.
“One of three college students arrested Wednesday in the Boston Marathon bombings case was allowed to return to the United States from Kazakhstan in January despite not having a valid student visa, a federal law enforcement official told The Associated Press. Authorities charged the student — a friend and classmate of one of the men accused of setting off the deadly explosions — with helping after the attacks to remove a laptop and backpack from the bombing suspect’s dormitory room before the FBI searched it,” Fox News reports.
Standoff Over Escaped Slaves from Compound Owned by Saudis in Virginia
“A case of “possible human trafficking” at a Saudi diplomatic compound in Virginia is under investigation, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed to News4. Homeland Security Special-Agent-in-Charge John Torres, who is leading the probe, said Fairfax County Police responded to a tip Tuesday night citing a possible case of modern slavery,” NBCWashington.com reports.
“It’s not clear if the women, whom sources say are from the Philippines, called investigators to the home themselves or if someone else did. The women are now in protective custody . . . The investigation is in its very early stages and complicated by the possibility that some of those involved may have diplomatic immunity, said a State Department spokesperson.”
Sending the Wrong Message on Assimilation?
“In the aftermath of the Boston bombings, many are asking how someone who came to America at the age of 9, attended some of our best schools, captained the wrestling team, went to the prom and became a citizen could have inflicted such a devastating attack on our society. The emerging evidence suggests that part of the answer is that no one in the past decade taught Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to love America, or at least did a very poor job of it,” says Mike Gonzalez in the Denver Post.
“But we know one thing for sure: He wasn’t taught that assimilation into American society was desirable. As I’m finding while researching a book on Hispanics — indeed, what I experienced as a young Cuban coming to this country in the early 1970s — we no longer teach patriotic assimilation. By that I mean love of country, not just its creature comforts.”