By FAIR, Special for US Daily Review.

Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), called today’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court upholding a key provision of Arizona’s immigration enforcement law, SB 1070, “an important victory for the people of Arizona and citizens everywhere who want their jobs, tax dollars and security protected from mass illegal immigration.

Supremes Support States' Immigration Reform

“The United States Supreme Court has made it very clear that state and local governments have an important role to play in enforcing federal immigration laws. Even if the Obama administration refuses to enforce most immigration laws, states have the power to deter and discourage illegal aliens from settling or remaining within their jurisdictions,” continued Stein.

Coupled with last year’s ruling, upholding Arizona’s requirement that all employers check the employment eligibility of the people they hire using the federal E-Verify system, states now have broad latitude to carry out a policy of attrition through enforcement.

“The Supreme Court has provided state and local governments with clear guidelines of what they can do to discourage illegal immigration and assist in immigration enforcement,” said Stein. “It is now up to them to choose whether to protect the interests of illegal aliens or the interests of citizens. And, it is now up to Congress to hold the Obama administration accountable for carrying out the nation’s immigration laws in a manner that protects the interests of the American people in all 50 states.”

FAIR’s legal team is carefully reviewing today’s ruling and will issue a detailed analysis of what it will mean for the future of immigration enforcement.

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country’s largest immigration reform group.  With over 250,000 members nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests.  FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced. Visit FAIR’s website at www.fairus.org.

By FAIR, Special for US Daily Review.

The Startup Act 2.0, a bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate (S.3217) last month and the House (H.R. 5893) yesterday, will undermine America’s most talented workers while failing to address the underlying problems of our failed immigration policy, charged the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). The legislation simply adds more visas on top of a bloated immigration system that is currently based on chain-migration.  America’s public interest would be better served by applying skilled-based criteria to our existing admission process rather than by piecemeal add-ons that do nothing to address fundamental problems.

The bill would allow foreign students with degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to remain in the United States for one year after graduation to compete for jobs with American graduates. Those foreign workers would be allowed to remain indefinitely as long as they are “engaged in a STEM field.” In addition, the legislation would also add new visas for foreign nationals who promise to start businesses in the U.S. However, Startup 2.0 would not alter the current immigration system which already brings about 1 million legal immigrants to this country each year, irrespective of their skills or education.

“Startup 2.0 is a solution in search of a problem,” observed Dan Stein, president of FAIR. “There is no shortage of workers already in our labor force who are ready, willing and able to perform jobs that STEM employers require. Bills like Startup 2.0, however, could create future shortages. Flooding our labor market with recent foreign STEM graduates, desperate to find and keep jobs in order to remain in the U.S., will further depress wages discouraging our own best and brightest from pursuing careers in these fields.”

The provision intended to encourage immigration of entrepreneurs is similarly flawed. Existing programs, such as the EB-5 visa program, which promised economic development and job creation, have been fraught with fraud and have not lived up to expectations.

Startup 2.0 and similar bills under consideration in Congress acknowledge a fundamental failing of U.S. immigration policy, while failing to correct the problem. “In FY 2011, the United States admitted 1,062,040 legal immigrants. Of those, only 66,831 were identified as ‘professionals with advanced degrees,’” Stein noted.

“Startup 2.0 essentially concedes that our current immigration policy is not serving the interests of the United States, but does nothing to eliminate hundreds of thousands of immigration visas that serve no identifiable national interest. We don’t need new add-ons to our broken immigration policy. We need a new immigration policy, which Startup 2.0 fails to deliver.

“True immigration reform would create a policy that allows us to selectively choose immigrants who are most likely to succeed in our country. Startup 2.0 does not meet that definition of true immigration reform,” Stein continued. “First, it leaves the failed policy of family chain migration in place. Second, it creates an overly broad admission policy for people who hold STEM degrees, or who profess to be entrepreneurs. Startup 2.0 would just create broad new categories of admission on top of a policy that is widely acknowledged as a failure.”

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country’s largest immigration reform group.  With over 250,000 members nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests.  FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced. Visit FAIR’s website at www.fairus.org.

By FAIR, Special for US Daily Review.

If passed, the Studying Towards Adjusted Residency Status (STARS) Act, introduced yesterday by Rep. David Rivera (R-Fla.), would be only the first in a series of amnesties for illegal aliens, charges the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). FAIR has consistently maintained that enacting any type of amnesty legislation will encourage rampant illegal immigration and create mounting pressure for additional amnesties.

The STARS Act, the latest version of the DREAM Act, grants amnesty to illegal aliens if they meet certain residency requirements and graduate from college. But just like previous versions of the DREAM Act, the STARS Act is part of the relentless effort to gain amnesty for the entire illegal alien population. Amnesty advocates understand that broad legalization schemes are unpopular with the American public and that their goals will have to be achieved incrementally.  And through the passage of the STARS Act, Congress would not only grant amnesty to illegal aliens who meet the requirements of the bill, but would also secure the admission of millions of family members – either living in the U.S. illegally or living outside the U.S. – through chain migration.

“The American people have categorically rejected the notion of granting amnesty to people who violate our immigration laws. Americans know that doing so is both unfair and irresponsible,” said Dan Stein, president of FAIR.

“Once Congress rewards illegal aliens for bringing minor children to the United States illegally, more aliens will enter the country illegally with their children – or worse yet, send them on their own. Thus, passage of the STARS Act would not be the end of the amnesty process, but the beginning of a process for amnesty advocates to achieve the comprehensive amnesty they have sought piece by piece,” Stein warned.

In a statement on the floor of the House of Representatives, Congressman Rivera justified his STARS Act legislation by asserting, “Many young immigrants have found themselves stuck in limbo due to our failure to address immigration reform.”

“That assertion is patently false and offensive to the American public,” Stein responded. “Illegal alien parents who brought their children here illegally are at fault, not the American public, nor our policies. Our immigration laws need to be enforced, not reformed in a way that accommodates and rewards the lawbreaking.”

“The problem of mass illegal immigration cannot be dealt with by rewarding people who break our laws with amnesty, either piecemeal or comprehensively. The only effective approach is a wholesale reform of our immigration system, one that discourages people from coming or remaining in the U.S. illegally by removing all incentives or rewards for breaking the law. The STARS Act is yet another reward for illegal behavior that will create a new incentive for more people to break our laws,” concluded Stein.

By FAIR, Special for US Daily Review.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency announced today that it will no longer initiate enforcement actions against deportable aliens identified by the Secure Communities program who have committed “minor” criminal offenses. This represents the Obama administration’s latest assault on immigration enforcement, charges the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). The new policy is the next step in the Administration’s effort to ensure that only aliens who have been convicted of violent crimes will be subject to deportation.

Secure Communities cross-checks the fingerprints of every person arrested by state and local police against a variety of federal databases, including a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) database of immigration law violators. Deportable aliens who are identified through the Secure Communities program are turned over to ICE, rather than released on bail. The new policy will dramatically limit the number of deportable aliens in state and local jails who ICE takes action against.

“Today’s action is clear evidence that this administration will not quit until most immigration enforcement apparatus in the U.S. is shut down and should be a clear signal that this administration believes the violation of immigration laws is entirely inconsequential.  The removal of violent criminal aliens only has been the lone factor in the Administration’s ability to maintain the pretense that it is enforcing our immigration laws,” noted Dan Stein, president of FAIR.

“Programs which rely on local law enforcement, like Secure Communities and 287(g) – a congressionally established program that trains local police to identify and detain illegal aliens – have provided ICE with a pipeline to identify deportable aliens,” continued Stein. “The Administration is phasing out 287(g) entirely, and now they are limiting the use of Secure Communities so that non-criminal aliens are ultimately released back onto the street.”

The latest ICE announcement is part of the Administration’s effort to prevent state and local authorities from playing a role in immigration enforcement. The Administration has made it abundantly clear through lawsuits and other actions that it does not want to enforce most U.S. immigration laws and it will not tolerate state and local policies that get in the way of their political objectives. “We are rapidly approaching the point where violent criminal aliens will be the only people who will be subject to immigration enforcement,” Stein concluded.

About FAIR

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country’s largest immigration reform group.  With over 250,000 members nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests.  FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced. Visit FAIR’s website at www.fairus.org.

By FAIR, Special for US Daily Review.

A new study released by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) finds that providing education, health care, law enforcement, and social and government services to illegal aliens and their dependents costs Ohio taxpayers $878 million. These costs amount to a $200 yearly burden for each Ohiohousehold headed by a U.S. citizen.

The report, The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Ohioans, estimates that about 110,000 illegal aliens resided in the Buckeye State as of 2010 – nearly three times as many as lived there in 2000. In addition, there are more than 25,000 U.S.-born children of illegal aliens living in Ohio who are eligible for all means-tested programs and benefits. Though these children are U.S. citizens, they would not be in the state if not for the fact that their parents violated U.S. immigration laws.

Among the key findings of The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Ohioans:

• Education and special English-language instruction for an estimated 9,480 illegal alien students and 25,375 U.S.-born children of illegal aliens costs Ohio taxpayers $509 million annually.
• Uncompensated health care for illegal aliens and their U.S.-born children costs Ohioans $84 million a year.
• Law enforcement and criminal justice costs associated with illegal immigration add about $78 million a year to the state’s tab.
• Means-tested social welfare services used by U.S.-born children of illegal aliens add $81 million in costs each year.

Illegal aliens pay about $18.8 million per year in payroll and other taxes. However, the report concludes that even these minimal payments do not represent a net gain for Ohio as the jobs filled by illegal aliens would likely be filled by legal U.S. workers, working at higher wages, with a much higher rate of tax compliance.

“At a time when Ohio, like most states, is struggling with severe budget constraints, the state’s rapidly growing illegal alien population is forcing the state to divert scarce resources to provide for their needs,” observed Dan Stein, president of FAIR. “These large and rapidly increasing costs are unwelcome at the best of times and are even more onerous as Ohio faces severe budget shortfalls.”

The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Ohioans notes that the federal government, which has consistently failed to effectively enforce laws against illegal immigration, bears primary responsibility for the $878 million a year cost burden to Ohioans. However, the report also finds that Ohio has not implemented policies that would discourage illegal aliens from settling in the state.

“Ohio is certainly a victim of failed federal policies and, in recent years, the Obama administration’s outright refusal to enforce many immigration laws. But that does not mean that the state is powerless to discourage illegal immigration and reduce burdens on taxpayers,” said Stein. “We hope that by estimating the costs so that everyone can understand the burdens illegal immigration imposed on Ohioans, Ohio lawmakers will be spurred to action.”

By US Daily Review Staff. Source: FAIR.

Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is up in in arms over recent actions by the Obama Administration.  In a recent they stated “In a transparent attempt to win favor with the powerful tourism industry, President Obama announced that his administration will waive consular interview requirements for people renewing U.S. visas. He also directed his administration to expand the number of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Citizens of VWP nations can enter the U.S. without obtaining a visa in advance.  The net result of both changes – counterintuitive in a post 9/11 world – is that millions of additional people will enter the U.S. with less scrutiny.”

“The changes the President is making to the visa issuance process, without Congressional approval, weaken important safeguards against terrorism and increase the potential for more visa over-stayers,” stated Dan Stein, president of Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). “The longstanding requirement for an in-person interview allows trained consular officers to identify people who might pose a threat to national security or who are likely to remain in the United States illegally.”

The proposal to significantly expand the VWP program ignores explicit warnings made by the 9/11 Commission which cited the VWP as a weakness that can be easily manipulated by terrorists. “It is exceedingly reckless to operate a visa waiver system, much less expand it, in an age where terrorists carry many different passports. Moreover, the U.S. still has no comprehensive system that matches the entry and exit of foreign travelers to ensure we are alerted when visa holders stay in the country illegally,” Stein cautioned.

Today’s move by the Obama administration is the latest in a two-year campaign of, according to the organization “unilateral policy changes designed to minimize immigration enforcement. It is also a clear effort to appeal to business interests in an election year. The timing and location of the announcement are designed to boost the President’s sagging popularity in Florida, a state he believes he must win in November.”

“President Obama claims his new initiatives will create jobs. If the President really wants to change immigration policy to expand jobs he’d restore credibility to our immigration system by securing our border, stepping up interior enforcement, supporting mandatory E-Verify, and substantially reducing legal immigration.  That would reduce foreign competition for scarce jobs that Americans need.  And in the process, not one of those things would jeopardize national security,” Stein concluded.

From FAIR’s statement: “Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country’s largest immigration reform group.  With over 250,000 members nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests.  FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced. Visit FAIR’s website at www.fairus.org.”

By FAIR, Special for US Daily Review.

Today’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel enjoining key provisions of a South Carolina’s immigration enforcement law subjugates federal statutes to the politically driven policies of the Obama Administration, charges the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).

Although federal courts have repeatedly held that it is the intent of Congress that is paramount in determining whether a state law is preempted by federal law, Judge Gergel’s abandoned this well-settled principle.  When examining whether South Carolina police may act when they reasonably suspect an individual is illegally in the United States, Judge Gergel sides with the Obama administration citing a series of memos written by John Morton, director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Those memos reveal the administration’s policy of selective enforcement when it comes to broad classes of immigration law violators. As such, the judge gives greater weight to the politically driven policy decisions of the current administration than to statutes enacted by Congress.

“Judge Gergel blatantly ignores the fact that neither John Morton, nor even President Obama, has any constitutional authority to make our immigration laws. Congress, and Congress alone, is vested with that responsibility by our Constitution,” stated Dan Stein, president of FAIR. “Congress, over many years, has designed immigration laws that are intended to govern the terms under which aliens may enter and reside in the United States with the objective of protecting the interests and security of the American people. Inexplicably, Judge Gergel chose to block provisions of South Carolina’s law that conform to federal immigration law because they conflict with the politically driven priorities of this administration.”

The judge also blocked two other provisions of the South Carolina law which replicate existing federal provisions. The first pertains to harboring and transporting illegal aliens for unlawful purposes, while the second requires noncitizens to carry their immigration documents with them.

“It is disappointing that an unelected federal judge has chosen to disregard not only the clear intent of laws written by Congress, but the right of the people’s elected representatives in South Carolina to protect the interests of citizens of that state,” said Stein.

“We look forward to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling next year defining what role states may play in enforcing federal immigration laws. We expect that the Supreme Court will examine the law and the intent of Congress, not the political whims of the administration in power, in rendering its decision. In recent decisions, the Supreme Court has given states broad latitude in the area of immigration enforcement and we expect that they will support the right of states to carry out laws that conform to federal statute,” Stein concluded.

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country’s largest immigration reform group.  With over 250,000 members nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests.  FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced. Visit FAIR’s website at www.fairus.org.

By US Daily Review Staff.

“Scope of Permissible State Action Must be Clarified”

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) welcomes the decision by the United States Supreme Court to review Arizona’s immigration enforcement law, SB 1070.  TheArizona legislature passed SB 1070 in April of 2010 to stop local jurisdictions from granting sanctuary to illegal aliens and to strengthen the federal-state-local partnership critical for effective immigration enforcement. The major provisions of this landmark legislation have been on hold under an injunction issued by the federal district court, which the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld.

By reviewing the case, Arizona v. United States, the Supreme Court is notably rejecting the request by the Obama Administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) that it let the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision stand. In a brief filed with the Court in November, the DOJ argued that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals had correctly decided the case, that there was no conflict between the various Courts of Appeal, and that to review SB 1070 at this point would be “premature.”

“The Supreme Court’s decision to review SB 1070 is an encouraging sign,” said FAIR president Dan Stein.  “We believe that SB 1070 is a legitimate effort by a state to partner with the federal government in assisting in the enforcement of our immigration laws,” said Stein. “In light of the administration’s complete abdication of its role in enforcing our immigration laws, citizens need some defined scope for permitted state action to ensure there is a robust relationship between federal policies and the nation’s need for effective immigration enforcement. We believe that after careful review based on precedent and federal law, the Supreme Court will uphold SB 1070 as a legitimate act by the state to ensure that our immigration laws are enforced.”

FAIR also observes that the timing of the decision means that state immigration laws will continue to be a part of the national dialogue about immigration: “The administration’s aggressive opposition to efforts to promote a state-federal partnership in immigration enforcement means that a ruling will likely be handed down just months before the November elections,” said Stein. “We welcome a robust dialogue during this period – there is a need for better public understanding of why state laws are a vital part of true and meaningful immigration reform,” Stein concluded.

According to a statement from the organization, “Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country’s largest immigration reform group.  With over 250,000 members nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests.  FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced. Visit FAIR’s website at www.fairus.org.”