Romney Trying To Pivot on Immigration

Is this the "Etch-a-Sketch" moment or merely a change in emphasis? Romney has taken some pretty tough positions on immigration including endorsing the Arizona law, pushing for "self deportation", threatening to veto the DREAM Act, etc. To be fair, he has been consistent in supporting skilled worker immigration reform and this is what he's emphasizing now. He seems to be trying to argue that the White House is against such reform which is not entirely true. The Obama Administration has announced support for many of the same pro-legal immigration measures backed by Romney. However, they have also let the US Department of Labor, US Citizenship and Immigration Services and State Department enact one anti-immigration policy after another and while USCIS Director Mayorkas is trying to push through some needed reforms, he is getting enormous pushback from within the agency and has yet to be able to address many of the serious long term problems facing that agency.

On the other hand, one of the biggest factors affecting the future of immigration policy in this country may be having committed, skilled, strong agency leaders seeking to improve the system. For example, Director Mayorkas is probably the most effective USCIS Director I've seen in my 22 years working as an immigration lawyer (and as a 44 year old, that's half my life!). I'd encourage both President Obama and Governor Romney to do what it takes to keep Mayorkas in that position regardless of who wins the election. As for the Labor Department, Hilda Solis has basically ignored immigration and allowed her Department's offiicals to pursue protectionist, anti-business immigration policies. The State Department has been a mixed bag with real attention now being focused on how the consulates' harsh attitudes are affecting tourism in the US. But we're seeing serious problems with skilled worker visa processing at many consulates (such as India) and few indications that DOS even acknowledges a problem.

Comments

[George Chell]

"This bill has little or no impact on the 2012 elections given the fact that both parties are pro legal and high skilled immigration."

All this can assure is that we will not regress like the Brits did, the Singaporeans doing it to some extent or severely restrict skilled migration as the Coalition party plans to do at the end of next year if it got into power. It does not give us any assurance of further liberalization of laws. We are at an impasse and could well be at an impasse for another decade.

Condi Rice speaks the truth, but because of that she is not very popular among the tea partiers, racists and antis. Last year she said that we will never treat the disease of racism and that it is an American birth deformity. She also further went on to say in another interview that there are some minorities who profile all whites, and particularly all white women as racists...probably true as I know some people who do, but these true statements does not help her standing...and her statement on immigration does not help her standing with tea partiers. Pat Buchanan is more popular among the tea baggers and antis than Condi Rice.

[George Chell]

I do not know whether the Romney proposal will ever become law. With Grassley sitting in the Senate I very much doubt it and I still dont believe Romney. One can say that Grassley is the friend of other countries, particularly countries such as Singapore, China and Australia. Because of his ideas, jobs which will otherwise come here to the US stays home or goes elsewhere. However, with increasing draconian skilled migration restrictions in the UK, piecemeal restrictions being implemented in Singapore, Canada revamping its laws forcing applicants to reapply to do away with backlogs, and draconian skilled migration restrictions expected in Australia next year if Abbott gets elected, the Romney proposal if legislated will rip talent from the competitors including Singapore and the UK, and make America a booming economy by bringing in jobs and FDI not very different from the 1990s. Right now restrictions abroad are helping US with jobs created by foreign corporations which account for the bulk of a million jobs created in this country. Romney has the right ideas, but will be implement it? I doubt it. I think once the tea party and the antis get up in arms, he will change the tune like he changed his tune on health care reform in MA.

[JoeF]

@sa:
"Ok , If the wait is not bad why don't these people go to back of the line?"

Which people?
You mean ROW? Why should they? They did nothing wrong. Why should they get punished??? Punishing people who did nothing wrong is immoral. HR3012 was fundamentally flawed, it was immoral.
And it is dead now, even if some people are delusional and hope it will get resurrected. It won't. It is dead for good.
Good riddance, HR3012.

[JoeF]

@gg: Do you really think that with the recent whistleblower allegations about H1 abuse at Infosys any Senator would touch anything that could possibly benefit people sponsored by Infosys?
This whole HR3012 stuff is over. Done for. Finito.

[Sa]

"The 70-year stuff is based on faulty analysis. It makes for a scary soundbite, nothing more. It has nothing to do with reality."

Ok , If the wait is not bad why don't these people go to back of the line?

[gg]

@JoeF

I think its wishful thinking on your part to expect Congress to hold on to status quo and increase country wide quotas. Republicans are completely against increasing the quotas, one reason why they supported the passage in the house with massive majority .This bill has little or no impact on the 2012 elections given the fact that both parties are pro legal and high skilled immigration.

[JoeF]

@gg: HR3012 is dead. The elections are coming up, and nobody will touch it anymore. MS lobbying is not going to change that, if not even the election worries of a fellow Republican can convince Grassley.

And as for the 70-year stuff, first, an mp3 is not an analysis. Second, the 70-year stuff leaves out a bunch of other factors. Sure, you can blindly extrapolate the wait times, but that is an invalid extrapolation. People port, people have US citizen children, etc. etc. etc.
The 70-year stuff is based on faulty analysis. It makes for a scary soundbite, nothing more. It has nothing to do with reality.

[Another Voice]

Condoleezza Rice: 'I Don't Know When Immigrants Became The Enemy'

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/11/condoleezza-rice-immigrants_n_1417275.html

[gg]

@gg: HR3012 is dead. ....the "70 yr wait club" is of course a piece of rubbish.

I am not sure about the demise of HR3012. Microsoft was lobbying for its passage just last week as far I know.

70yr wait - I don't think we are looking at the same data. Here is the explanation for 70yr wait time.

http://nfap.com/podcast/7643283.mp3

[JoeF]

@gg: HR3012 is dead. Not even the Irish lobby could reanimate it. That amendment was for Scott Brown re-election purposes only, anyway.
And the "70 yr wait club" is of course a piece of rubbish. Scare tactics by HR3012 supporters. In the Internet and Facebook age, such misrepresentation doesn't work anymore. Anybody can analyze the data and see that this 70-year stuff is rubbish. Perpetuating such lies only hurt HR3012.
I hope that for the next bill, there is more "truthiness", as Stephen Colbert would call it ;)

[Sa]

"Basically Rubio is extending platinum membership to the exclusive "70 yr wait club" to everyone which was until now reserved only to Indians and Chinese. Rubio's is killing two birds with one shot which is legalizing dreamers and delaying GC or citizenship to all immigrants (but does in a fair manner) - which means no new vote bank for Democrats in the near future"

The hispanic caucus will not agree for anything less than an immediate Green card. Lets see what they have to say when these proposals are introduced

[Another Voice]

"which means no new vote bank for Democrats in the near future"

Not so sure about this one, Hispanics remain a large and growing voting group and y sense is that they will not forget about the republicans or the Rubio antics...all these kids have friends and family that can vote and I am sure they have lived the drama up close and personal.

[JC]

@gg: "extending platinum membership to the exclusive "70 yr wait club" to everyone which was until now reserved only to Indians and Chinese."

:) I know it's sad but couldn't stop myself from a chuckle.

[gg]

@sa - "I think that is a sensible proposal"

While me too thinks its a sensible proposal, it is likely going to have serious unintended side effects especially if HR3012 becomes law or if they fail to allocate additional visas and try to reduce the quota of each country to create slots for dreamers.

Basically Rubio is extending platinum membership to the exclusive "70 yr wait club" to everyone which was until now reserved only to Indians and Chinese. Rubio's is killing two birds with one shot which is legalizing dreamers and delaying GC or citizenship to all immigrants (but does in a fair manner) - which means no new vote bank for Democrats in the near future

[Sa]

"Marco Rubio dream act proposal = A non-immigrant visa for dreamers + go back and stand back of the line of legal non-immigrant visa holders for green card."

I think that is a sensible proposal.

[gg]

(Reuters) - India has launched a complaint at the World Trade Organisation over the cost of U.S. work visas, which it says are too high and discriminate against a group of Indian IT firms, in the latest sign of prickly trade ties between the two allies.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/10/india-usa-trade-idUSL3E8FA2WV20120410

[JoeF]

@AV: It works fine with Firefox (I'm currently using FF 11) on Windows and Linux.

[gg]

Marco Rubio dream act proposal = A non-immigrant visa for dreamers + go back and stand back of the line of legal non-immigrant visa holders for green card.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/07/2736528/marco-rubio-the-gop-and-the-dream.html

[Greg Siskind]

AV - I'll check with the ILW folks on that.

Greg

[George Chell]

However, based on his past flip flops do I really believe in his support for skilled immigration? And how is he going to deal with Charles "Assinine" Grassley? They cannot even get lifting of country quotas past him.

Regarding the pushback etc., US is doing well relative to other countries because of only one reason: we have not regressed. UK is literally destroying its skill base by restricting skilled immigration from non-EU countries. More and more UK skills are leaving for greener pastures abroad. As a result skill levels are declining in the UK. The rest of Europe is nothing much to speak of. Hence contrary to common wisdom, Foreign Investment has increased in the Us creating jobs. A Wall Street Journal article today indicates that US corporations are cutting jobs in the US. However, data indicate that jobs have increased by nearly a million in the past four months. Now where are these jobs coming from? From abroad, chasing US skills including migrant skills. It is very clear:

AS A RESULT OF THE CUTBACKS IN SKILLED IMMIGRATION IN THE UK, SLOWDOWN OF SKILLED MIGRANTS TO ASIA INCLUDING COUNTRIES SUCH AS SINGAPORE, AND THREATS OF CUTS IN SKILLED IMMIGRATION IN AUSTRALIA, THE JOBS ARE MOVING TO THE US WHERE ONLY THE VIRULENT ANTI IMMIGRATION BIGOTS LED BY CIS,FAIR AND NUMBERS USA REALLY WANT TO REGRESS.

So, the USCIS gets away with pranks and shennanigans and as long as other countries such as the UK are hell bent on committing economic suicide, jobs and investment will come to the US unless the US also takes the UK path.

[Another Voice]

UNRELATED: Greg not sure if anyone else is having a problem but if you are using Google Chrome the bolg does not let you posy only with MS-Explorer just FYI for anyone that may be experiencing problems.