Return-Path: <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov>
Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.9.3/8.9.0.Beta5/980425bjb) with SMTP id TAA27625; Thu, 25 May 2000 19:59:23 -0400 (EDT)
Date: Thu, 25 May 2000 19:59:23 -0400 (EDT)
Message-Id: <392DBD07.2BA2B8B3@interaccess.com>
Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov
Reply-To: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov
Originator: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov
Sender: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov
Precedence: bulk
From: Aliza Becker <alzbec@interaccess.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov>
Subject: [NIFL-ESL:4521] National Forum Update
X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.5 [en] (Win95; I)
Status: O
Content-Length: 12461
Lines: 351
National Immigration Forum
Date: May 24, 2000
To: Forum Associate E-mail List
From: Maurice Belanger
Re: Text of National Forum Policy Update Fax of 5/24
----------------------------------------------------
CONTENTS:
1) "H-1B Plus" Immigration Agenda Emerges
2) Legislation Relating to H-1B Plus Agenda
3) Honduran/Nicaraguan TPS Extended
4) "Well-Founded Fear" to Air June 5th
----------------------------------------------------
-----------
IN CONGRESS - Advocates Press Adjustment Issues in Context of H-1B Bill
-----------
As the legislative days tick away in Congress, advocates in Washington
are
developing a strategy to have Congress address immigration issues other
than
raising the cap on temporary (H-1B) non-immigrant workers.
In recent months, immigrant advocates have gained some unusual allies in
the
work to expand opportunities for immigrants and reduce the harmful
effects
of restrictive legislation passed in 1996. With unemployment at its
lowest
point in 30 years, a range of business associations are becoming
interested
in the immigration issue, and organized labor is increasingly realizing
that
immigrants are crucial to the survival of the labor movement.
The challenge has been to find how the concerns of business and labor
intersect with the concerns of immigrant advocates. The focus on
workforce
and workers points to opportunities to make some progress in at least
one
area where interests converge: stabilizing the status of certain
populations
of immigrants.
The one major piece of legislation Congress is now considering is to
increase the number of H-1B temporary skilled workers into the country.
In
the context of this legislation, advocates have begun to develop a
strategy
dubbed "H-1B Plus," which includes the legalization of targeted
populations
of immigrants who have been in the U.S. for a long time, and other
issues.
* Status of the H-1B Bill
The House Judiciary Committee met to "mark up" H.R. 4227, the Technology
Worker Temporary Relief Act, on May 9th. The bill would remove the cap
on
H-1B visas during the next three years, but provide a number of
limitations
on the issuance of the visas. During the markup, several Committee
Democrats complained that Congress was not addressing urgent
immigration-related matters except for the H-1B issue. There was an
effort
to amend the bill to include the Central American parity legislation and
recently-introduced legislation to update the Registry provision (see
sidebar). The Ranking Democrat on the Committee, John Conyers (D-MI)
tried
a creative approach: his amendment was to alter the definition of an
H-1B
worker to include those who would be covered by the Central American
parity
bill and the Registry bill. His amendment was ruled out of order.
On May 17th, the Judiciary Committee completed its markup of the H-1B
bill.
It passed the Committee by a vote of 18 to 11, with all but two
Democrats
voting against it. Democrats are weighing the pros and cons of making
an
effort to raise the issues of Central American Parity and Registry in
the
Rules Committee, the next stop for the H-1B bill. (Members on the Rules
Committee will decide which amendments will be discussed on the House
Floor,
and the rules of debate on the Floor.) Floor action on the bill is
expected
in June.
In the Senate, S. 2045, the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-first
Century Act, is still pending Floor action, after the Judiciary
Committee
reported the bill out of that Committee on March 9th. The bill would
increase the number of visas available to 195,000 for each of the Fiscal
Years 2000 through 2002. The full Senate is now expected to vote on the
bill sometime after the Memorial Day recess. In advance of the Senate
floor
vote, Washington advocates have been visiting Senate offices to bring
attention to the issues of Central American parity, the updating of the
Registry cutoff date, and the restoration of Section 245(i).
* The White House Announces Its Position
On May 11th, the White House released a letter regarding the H-1B
legislation being considered by Congress, calling for "a balanced
approach
of a reasonable increase in the number of H-1B visas, significant
provisions
to protect and prepare the U.S. workforce, and measures of fairness and
equity for certain immigrants already in the U.S." Specifically, the
White
House called for amendments to the H-1B legislation to include the
Central
American and Haitian Parity Act and legislation that would update the
Registry cutoff date.
* Left/Right Press Conference Articulates "H-1B Plus" Goals
On May 16th, the National Forum organized a press conference with former
Republican Presidential candidate Jack Kemp, and former Housing and
Urban
Development Secretary Henry Cisneros. Also speaking were
representatives of
the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union,
Americans
for Tax Reform, the U.S. Catholic Conference, the National Council of La
Raza, the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium, and the
William
C. Velasquez Institute. Speakers at the press conference asked Congress
to
act on issues outlined in a letter signed by Mr. Kemp and Mr. Cisneros:
Central American parity; updating Registry; restoration of 245(i); and
addressing family immigration backlogs. The letter was the product of a
meeting organized by Forum Board member Rick Swartz and facilitated by
Mr.
Cisneros in which advocates identified priorities for congressional
action
this year. In addition to Mr. Kemp and Mr. Cisneros, the letter was
signed
by a number of conservative organizations, labor unions, national and
local
immigrant advocates, religious organizations, and others.
For a copy of the letter, check the Forum's website in the coming days.
* Materials Available
The Forum has produced advocacy materials relating to this emerging
"H-1B
Plus" strategy.
Backgrounders on the various component issues will soon be posted on the
Forum website's "Fix 96" pages. You should be able to obtain them by
the
end of the month at http://www.immigrationforum.org/fix96/default.htm.
----------
BACKGROUND - The Targeted Immigrant Groups and Legislation Introduced
----------
Legislation has already been introduced this year to stabilize the
status of
three groups of immigrants.
* Central American Parity Act
The Central American and Haitian Adjustment Act would provide for
Salvadorans, Guatemalans, Hondurans and Haitians the same opportunity
for
adjustment of status that Cubans and Nicaraguans received in the
Nicaraguan
Adjustment and Central American Relief Act of 1997. In the House, the
bill
is H.R. 2722, introduced in August of last year by Reps. Christopher
Smith
(R-NJ), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) and 26 other original co-sponsors. The
bill
now has 109 co-sponsors. In the Senate, the bill is S. 1592, introduced
by
Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA). The bill now
has
12 co-sponsors.
* Date of Registry Act
The Date of Registry Act would update a provision called Registry. This
is
a provision that gives immigrants who have been here without proper
documents an opportunity to adjust to permanent status if they have been
here a long time and have nothing in their background that would
disqualify
them for immigrant status. This "statute of limitations" recognizes
that
migrants who have developed substantial ties to the U.S., including
families, homes, and jobs, should be granted relief from deportation.
The
bill changes the registry cutoff date-the date by which immigrants must
have
been in the United States to take advantage of this provision.
Currently,
the cutoff date is January 1, 1972. The Senate Bill, S. 2407, was
introduced on April 12th by Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Edward
Kennedy.
S. 2407 would update the registry provision by moving up the registry
cutoff
date first to 1986 and then by one year each year until the year 2006,
when
the cutoff date would be made January 1, 1990. The House bill, H.R.
4138,
was introduced at the end of March by Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)
and
Luis Gutierrez. H.R. 4138 would move the cutoff date to January 1,
1986.
The Clinton Administration proposed this bill as a way to end the legal
wrangling that has gone on for more than a decade on behalf of
immigrants
who were wrongly denied legalization under the legalization provisions
of
the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. In a statement, the
Vice
President Al Gore noted that the bill would "not only provide
humanitarian
relief to many long-term migrants, but would also reduce or eliminate
the
need to continue litigating some of the large class actions still
lingering
from the 1986 legalization program."
* House Bill to Restore Section 245(i)
Finally, legislation has been introduced to stabilize the status of
migrants
who are on the verge of gaining their immigrant visa, but for whom the
1996
immigration law's three- and ten-year bars present a barrier for
reuniting
with their families and employers. H.R. 1841, introduced a year ago by
Reps. Luis Gutierrez and Constance Morella (R-MD), would restore Section
245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, thus allowing migrants
qualifying for immigrant visas to have their visa processed in the U.S.
While this legislation does not change the three- and ten-year bars, it
provides an opportunity for qualifying immigrants to get around the
bars.
H.R. 1841 has 52 co-sponsors. No Senate companion bill has been
introduced.
Efforts to restore Section 245(i) in the past have occurred in the
context
of appropriations bills, since appropriators see the fine immigrants
must
pay as an important source of revenue.
---
TPS - TPS for Hondurans and Nicaraguans Extended
---
On May 11, 2000, the INS published Federal Register notices extending
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Hondurans and Nicaraguans for a
period
of 12 months. These nationals were originally granted TPS due to the
widespread destruction in Honduras and Nicaragua caused by Hurricane
Mitch.
The extension of TPS applies only to the approximately 100,000 Hondurans
and
6,000 Nicaraguans who registered for TPS during the initial registration
period, which ended August 20, 1999 (some exceptions are possible for
late
initial registrants). Although a number of applicants have not had
their
initial application processed as yet, the INS has set a re-registration
period of 30 days, ending June 12, 2000.
Prior to the decision to extend TPS, the Forum sent a letter to the
Attorney
General, signed by 60 national and local organizations, which urged an
18-month extension, citing lack of progress in reconstruction in both
Honduras and Nicaragua, and another round of flooding, destruction, and
crop
loss that occurred in the fall of last year. In extending TPS for
Honduras,
the Administration cited the slow pace of reconstruction and the large
number of people who remain homeless after the storm. Forum Associates
who
are on our e-mail list have received the Federal Register notices
announcing
the extension of TPS. If you are a Forum Associate and are not on the
e-mail list, send a message to mbelanger@immigrationforum.org. The INS
has
produced a fact sheet on the extension of TPS. That fact sheet can be
obtained from their website at:
http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/publicaffairs/factsheets/TPSFacts1.htm.
------
ASYLUM - Television Documentary to Explore Asylum Process
------
On June 5th, the Public Broadcast System (PBS) will air A Well-Founded
Fear.
The film is a behind-the-scenes look at the asylum decision-making
process,
focusing on four asylum officers in the New York Asylum Office, their
interaction with five asylum seekers, and what goes in to their ultimate
decisions. PBS's Point of View series, of which this documentary is one
feature, has a website dedicated to A Well-Founded Fear, where you can
obtain more information on the film, as well as related information and
resources. The address is
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov1999/wellfoundedfear.html.
==============================
Maurice Belanger
Senior Policy Associate
National Immigration Forum
E-Mail: mbelanger@immigrationforum.org
Web: http://www.immigrationforum.org
--
Aliza Becker
Phone: (773) 267-0746
Fax (773) 478-5091
E-mail alzbec@interaccess.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue Jan 16 2001 - 14:44:54 EST