Sophia Williams
The immigration reform debate is still being hotly discussed around the nation. Lawmakers are still hammering out the right language in which to finally include in the proposed immigration legislation that was reached by labor and business.
According to a Huffington Post article, “Immigration Deal Reached by ‘Gang of Eight,’ Chuck Schumer, Lindsey Graham Say,” the latest news is that the Senators who are a part of the “Gang of Eight” (those in charge of tackling immigration reform plans) have agreed upon a bipartisan deal with big businesses and labor (AFL-CIO). The agreement outlines a guest worker program for low skilled immigrants in industries such as construction, restaurant, hotels, etc. In the article Senator Graham states that “the bill would have three goals: to prevent a “third wave” of undocumented immigrants moving into the United States, to allow employers who can’t find American workers at competitive wages to hire guest workers and to weigh immigration decisions largely on merit rather than family relations.” Also he included that, “Undocumented immigrants will have a path to citizenship, but it will be earned, it will be long, and I think it will be fair” Huffington Post carefully noted that not everyone in the”gang of eight” were on the same page, being that Senator Marco Rubio had said that no deal has been reached as yet and stating “Reports that the bipartisan group of eight senators have agreed on a legislative proposal are premature.” Sen. Jeff Flake is also not certain that a deal has been fully decided on.
A Fox News article, named “Hill Leaders Agree About Progress on Immigration Reform But Say Final Deal Still in the Making,” similar to the aforementioned article discusses the same deal that was crafted between big business and labor, as well as also noting that a fianl deal has yet to be reached. Fox News does enjoy being very analytical and strategic in their news stories and this article proves it by going ahead to include that Rubio is looking to run for president in the 2016 election and that maybe he is using his influence on the proposed bill. This is in light of his Republican candidates whom took the strong position on illegal immigration. However, Fox News makes it obvious that there has been a more positive shift in Republican policies around overhauling the current immigration policies and using that as a competitive edge in the next presidential elections. Both Huffington and Fox makes the point about the deal that was crafted and how some in the “gang of eight” are not quite certain on it, however Huffington does not directly get into the politics behind the deal while Fox many times discusses the competitive nature of both political parties.
New York Times concentrates many of the rhetoric around immigration reform on what is best for immigrant families and how creating a responsive immigration legislation can positively uplift and impact immigrant families which subsequently will drive the American economy. NYT article, “Time to Strengthen Family Immigration,” strongly underscores that Congress should put forth a bill that will help to keep and unite families and greatly strengthen America’s immigration system values. NYT and Huffington Post writings on the latest immigration reform legislation news argues for the personal lives of undocumented immigrants and their relatives so as to accentuate the positive potential that this legislation can have on the future lives of present and future immigrants.
Continuing the discussions on deal that the labor group, AFL-CIO, and big business decided on with the eight senators, the National Journal, points out a very precise and detailed reasoning of positive and negative viewpoints in the article, “3 Ways Work Visas Could Still Blow Up the Immigration Bill.” Akin to Fox News reporting on the this latest deal, National Journal uses strategic analysis to emphasize the potential results this deal could have for immigrants, business, labor, government, and America’s economic future. However, in much more words, this article establishes more as to why the new foreign worker program for low skilled immigrants can cause more harm than good. Unlike Fox News, National Journal does not focus more on the fact that not everyone in the “gang of eight” thinks this is a final deal. In the article that is made mention of, but they examined, for example, how the amount of visas to be given each year to prospective immigrants does not match the number of positions needed to be filled by low-skilled immigrants in the workforce. “The prospect of 75,000 visas available seven years from now is not enough to appease business groups or Republicans. Unless labor and business can start talking remotely in the same ballpark, the deal is finished. The AFL-CIO is willing to endorse 200,000 visas per year at some point in the future. That is close to what business groups say they need in terms of numbers, but not in terms of timing,” this quote provides a more clearer understanding of that which I mentioned.
The blog, Immigration Impact, have many articles which speaks on the state of immigrants in their local communities as well as the national response to immigrants from federal lawmakers. A recent article that considers the importance of a comprehensive immigration reform that calls for strengthening immigrant families and communities and bolstering the economic impact on small and big businesses is “Small Business Owners Support Comprehensive Immigration Reform.” The article conveys the overall message from a survey of small business owners who strongly believe in a comprehensive reform that can exponentially impact local economies and communities. Immigration Impact describes in this article the percentage of small business owners who recognizes a need for comprehensive immigration reform, a need for more low and high-skilled immigrant workers via the worker visa program, and a need for a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million immigrants. And overall, many of them agreed that immigration’s role in the American society is beneficial, positive, and strengthening. Like the Huffington Post and New York Times, Immigration Impact discusses an immigration reform that strengthens and protects immigrant families while being able to provide a small and quick analysis that does not contains heavy details behind the numbers and wording of the reform.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/25/opinion/time-to-strengthen-family-immigration.html
http://www.nationaljournal.com/3-ways-work-visas-could-still-blow-up-the-immigration-bill-20130401?mrefid=site_search
Small Business Owners Support Comprehensive Immigration Reform
