News Update - August 22, 2009

By Alan Lee, Esq.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform Set for 2010, Says Obama



At a summit of the three leaders of Canada, Mexico and the United States in Guadalajara, Mexico, on August 10, 2009, President Barack Obama faced the reality of the difficulties of his aggressive multi-pronged attacks on the status quo of U.S. energy, health care and the economy as he announced that Comprehensive Immigration Reform would remain on his agenda, but for 2010 enactment. Mr. Obama acknowledged, “I’ve got a lot on my plate,” and expressed that there would be challenges as “demagogues out there [will] try to suggest that any form or pathway for legalization for those who are already in the United States is unacceptable.”

Mr. Obama set a timetable that immigration bills will be drafted after Congress completes work on health care, energy and financial regulation. He expects the measures to be enacted in early 2010.

Since June 25, 2009, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has met regularly with lawmakers to work through a number of controversial issues, including how to handle the 12 million illegal immigrants already in the United States and how to prevent future illegal immigration.

In planning immigration reforms, Mr. Obama emphasized fairness to the American people and immigrants. He said, “Ultimately, I think the American people want fairness. And we can create a system in which you have strong border security and an orderly process for people to come in. But we’re also giving an opportunity for those who are already in the United States to achieve a pathway to citizenship so they don’t have to live in the shadows.”

 


The author is a 26+ year practitioner of immigration law based in New York City. He was awarded the Sidney A. Levine prize for best legal writing at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1977 and has written extensively on immigration over the past years for the ethnic newspapers, World Journal, Sing Tao, Pakistan Calling, Muhasha and OCS. He has testified as an expert on immigration in civil court proceedings and was recognized by the Taiwan government in 1985 for his work protecting human rights. His article, "The Bush Temporary Worker Proposal and Comparative Pending Legislation: an Analysis" was Interpreter Releases' cover display article at the American Immigration Lawyers Association annual conference in 2004, and his victory in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in a case of first impression nationwide, Firstland International v. INS, successfully challenged INS' policy of over 40 years of revoking approved immigrant visa petitions under a nebulous standard of proof. Its value as precedent, however, was short-lived as it was specifically targeted by the Administration in the Intelligence Reform Act of 2004.

This article © 2009 Alan Lee, Esq.

 

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