vi·sa /ˈvizə/ noun, 1. an endorsement made by an authorized representative of one country permitting the passport holder entry into or transit through the country making the endorsement. vi·sion /ˈvɪʒən/ –noun 1. the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be."
Archive for August, 2008
Hillary Mentions Immigration in DNC 2008 Speech!
I don’t have a television, and suspect that I have a weird allergy to newsprint (but thankfully no other allergies), so that sometimes leaves me a little out of the loop when it comes to news. I rarely notice, because I can usually catch up on the internet when I have a few extra minutes, or by looking over people’s shoulders as they read their newspapers on the subway, etc., but I definitely felt like I completely missed out this year during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and now feel that same cultural isolation as the Democratic National Convention airs on TV. I also felt a twang of sadness realizing how cut-off from the “world” I have become when my mom mentioned to me that the kids on Jon and Kate plus 8 have really grown up so much.
So thanks again to YouTube, which is my dependable source for anything noteworthy that airs on TV these days, I watched Michelle Obama, Chelsea Clinton, Ted Kennedy, and Hillary Clinton’s speeches over the past two days, hungry to know what clues, if any, each would give regarding the importance of any immigration related issues. I missed most of the Debates earlier this year, so I am making a concerted effort to stay on top of politics through the November elections.
I listened carefully to Hillary’s 22 minute 55 second speech, knowing that every word she uttered was purposefully selected to respond to the hopes, visions, goals, promises, and complaints of all the voters listening, and to reassure them that the Democratic party knows their fears, and will respond over the next 4 years. Twice she mentioned immigration:
1. 10:15 We want “…To make america, once again, a nation of immigrants and of laws…“
2. 17:05 “We dont need 4 more years of the last 8 years…more jobs getting shipped overseas and fewer jobs created here at home…“
And in those first 12 words, I believe that Hillary was declaring to America that the Democrats want ours to be a nation that supports immigrants, as well as one that supports upholding rational laws which help immigrants become part of our country legally.
Perhaps her 12 words about the need to keep jobs in the US reflect an understanding that we should be attracting talent here by increasing the H-1b cap and fixing our Employment Based green card system. Is it too dreamy to suggests that she was specifically referring to eliminating the H-1B cap and revising the Labor Certification/PERM Green Card system?
I don’t know if we should read that deeply into her words, but I do think that mentioning immigration in her address at the DNC reflects that this is an important issue, and one which the party realizes needs to be addressed and remedied if Obama gets to the White House. I think it will be interesting to see what McCain has to say during the Republican convention.
Tags: Elections, Hillary
Clean Partners! Obama Chooses Biden as Runningmate
Obama’s announcement last night that he chose Senator Joe Biden (D-De) as his runningmate prompted me to do a quickie reference check on one of my favorite political websites.
All I remembered about Joe Biden was his description of Obama as the “the first mainstream African-American [running for president] who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.” But I stray from the point of this post, which is not to denigrate anyone’s reputation, but to seriously explore and expose any immigration-related issues which might concern or comfort me.
I wish www.ontheissues.org was organized a bit better (and updated with the most current statistics) but it’s still filled with useful, easy-to-digest information about each politician’s public statements divided by topic, as well as voting record, making it very easy to get a nice topical overview of the politician’s positions.
So what’s up with Joe Biden? Here’s a little summary (Lifted directly from http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Joe_Biden.htm).
I tried to highlight pro immigrant positions in BLUE and anti-immigrant positions in RED, but soon gave up when I realized that it’s really difficult for me to do that…It’s clearly something which I need to think about a little more, and figure out which issues clearly help or harm immigrants.
- FactCheck: 67% of illegal aliens speak Spanish; not 40%. (Dec 2007)
- H1-B visas only for jobs Americans can’t do. (Dec 2007)
- Americans will do any job if you pay them properly. (Dec 2007)
- Oppose granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. (Nov 2007)
- Sanctuary cities exist because feds can’t enforce their laws. (Sep 2007)
- It’s impractical to deport 14 million illegal immigrants. (Jun 2007)
- Voted for border fence, but to tackle drug trafficking. (Jun 2007)
- Voted YES on continuing federal funds for declared “sanctuary cities”. (Mar 2008)
- Voted YES on comprehensive immigration reform. (Jun 2007)
- Voted NO on declaring English as the official language of the US government. (Jun 2007)
- Voted YES on eliminating the “Y” nonimmigrant guestworker program. (May 2007)
- Voted YES on building a fence along the Mexican border. (Sep 2006)
- Voted YES on establishing a Guest Worker program. (May 2006)
- Voted YES on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security. (May 2006)
- Voted YES on giving Guest Workers a path to citizenship. (May 2006)
- Voted YES on allowing more foreign workers into the US for farm work. (Jul 1998)
- Voted NO on visas for skilled workers. (May 1998)
- Voted NO on limit welfare for immigrants. (Jun 1997)
- Rated 8% by USBC, indicating an open-border stance. (Dec 2006)
| According to this website and others that I looked at, it seems as though Biden strongly supports securing the borders by building a Fence across the Mexican border, but has fairly liberal immigration views outside of that issue. |
Tags: Elections
presented by HIAS Young Leaders NYC Advocacy and Education Committee
Last night I attended (and co-moderated) a HIAS event called ”Welcoming the Stranger,” a multimedia exploration of today’s most pressing immigration issues from an ethical, humanitarian, historical, and theological perspective. Presented by the HIAS Young Leaders Education and Advocacy committee, the program was designed to explain the immigration debate, expose the need for reform to our immigration system, and encourage attendees to continue to spread the word to promote just immigration practices in their communities. More grass roots advocacy by HIAS Young Leaders!!!
I am slightly biased, because I am a HIAS YL volunteer and actually helped review and revise the program in its early stages, but I thought it was really fabulous. We learned about the different periods of immigration, the people most affected by our broken system today, the Jewish biblical injunction to “Welcome the Stranger,” and the strength and power of the vehemently anti-immigrant voice. We also had meaningful discussions on difficult issues such as whether English should be required for Naturalization, and my favorite, whether participants would lie or break the law to enter a country if their future, safety, or family were at risk.
I really hope that this program takes off in other forums, because its a great way to gain a clear understanding of the debated issues, and discover why it is important to pressure Congress for more compassionate immigration policies. The program is designed to target and motivate Jewish audiences to mobilize because the Jewish community has historically struggled with xenophobia and anti-semitism as immigrants to the US, and now is established enough to speak out in defense of today’s struggling immigrant communities.
Two thumbs up for a very cool and informative event!
Tags: E-Verify
Cirque Dreams
I saw my first Cirque du Soleil show tonight (Jungle Fantasy) which was breathtaking, beautiful, artistic, and inspiring. I looked through the Cast in the Playbill, and noticed that almost all the artists were Russian, Ukranian, or Mongolian. Oddly enough, all I could think was O-1 or P visas!!!
Their international talent was a testament not only to the capacity of the human spirit, body and mind, but also to the benefits of maintaining the steady flow of talent through our Visa system.
I shudder when I think of the loss to the US of talent and potential of every individual destined for greatness who isn’t lucky enough to have a visa number available to him/her. This year I saw doors closed to many bright, motivated individuals seeking H-1b visas. Will our immigration system re-calibrate to accomadate the foreign talent aching to crossing our borders?
Tags: H-1B, O Visa, P Visa
Flight
Last night I was at a dinner where I met an Israeli guy who had an accent that was obviously not Israeli. I asked him where he was born, and how he got to Israel. He told me that he grew up in Iran, and his family moved to Israel during the Iran-Iraq war. He was 15 at the time, and was supposed to go to the Army (which also meant he might never come back). Because of his impending army service, he couldn’t leave with his family, and instead was smuggled out alone, on a journey which took a 45 days by foot and by horse across the border into Turkey. I talked to some of my Persian friends, who told me that this is a pretty “typical” story for young men during that time. I can’t imagine doing that at any age.
Tags: asylum, Immigrant Story, Iran, refugee
Congress passed Supplemental Security Income (SSI) extension which benefits for disabled and elderly refugees. I have no time to write about this but will edit/update later.
Tags: Advocacy, SSI
