White House Won’t Let Rep. Issa Question Key Staffer About Fast and Furious

by IMMIGRATION NEWS UPDATE April 12, 2012

Fast and Furious:

American Thinker: White House Won't Let Rep. Issa Question Key Staffer About Fast and Furious The most transparent administration ever has just invoked Executive Privilege in refusing to allow Congressman Issa and Senator Grassley to question former NSA White House staffer, Kevin O'Reilly regarding Operation Fast and Furious.

DREAM Act:

Fox News Latino:  Rubio's ‘DREAM Act' is a 21^st Century Bracero Program for Immigrant Youth After being criticized by Latinos throughout the country for his Tea Party-friendly anti-immigrant positions, Florida Senator and rumored GOP Vice-Presidential possibility, Marco Rubio, has started introducing the idea of what some are calling the "Republican DREAM Act."

Union Tribune: Insight on Immigration, the DREAM Act In Congress, there is talk of a GOP-led version of the DREAM Act that includes legalization but not a pathway to citizenship for certain undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children and who attend college or serve in the military. Would this be acceptable?

Border Enforcement:

Next Gov: DHS Requests Bids for Second Try at Virtual Fence The Homeland Security Department has issued a much anticipated solicitation for sensor-studded towers, preferably military-grade, to replace a $1 billion virtual fence that faltered in the Arizona desert more than a year ago.

Grand Forks Herald: Border Patrol Expanding Self-Service Options U.S. Customs and Border Protection has expanded its Trusted Traveler program to cover more airports, allowing pre-screened passengers to cross borders in less time and with fewer formalities, according to a CBP release.

CNBC: After Jobs Act, Case Turns Focus to Immigration As he gathers with other movers and shakers at the White House on Thursday afternoon to witness President Barack Obama's signing of the Jobs Act, AOL Inc co-founder Steve Case is already thinking ahead to the next cause he can help champion behind the scenes: immigration reform.

E-Verify:

KCAU TV (Sioux City, IA): Neb. City Prepares for Immigration Ordinance Fremont officials are still working out how to implement an ordinance requiring businesses to double-check the citizenship status of new employees.

Interior Enforcement:

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Immigration Chief Outlines His Priorities Alejandro Mayorkas, a veteran federal prosecutor, is the director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

USA Today: Ala. Proposes More Extensive Checking of Immigrants' Status Alabama legislators are proposing changes to their law cracking down on illegal immigration, promising to clean up some of the complications that arose after it went into effect last year and to solve some of the legal troubles that led a federal judge to block portions of the law.

Christian Science Monitor: Home Again in Mexico Illegal Immigration Hits Net Zero The trend began with a weaker economy in the US. But even if a stronger one were to pull many Mexicans back to the US, the new pattern could persist. Migrants - and the experts who study them - say they are deterred by state laws in the US that have fueled anti-immigrant sentiment, tougher US-border enforcement, and border violence.

REAL ID:

Cato Institute: Will Pennsylvania Join the REAL ID Rebellion?

Visa Reform:

The Patriot Ledger: Critics Say Sen. Brown Using Irish Work Visa Bill to Attract Votes Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown has come under fire for pressing forward with an immigration bill that would provide 10,500 work visas annually for Irish citizens seeking to gain entry into the United States.

Miscellaneous:

Washington Post: Sensible Improvements on Immigration  President Obama has gotten more notice for what he's failed to do on immigration policy than for what he's done right. The fact remains that his administration is taking steps to rationalize what has become a deeply dysfunctional system.

The Daily Progress: Cantor Talks Immigration, Health Care at UVa Stop House Majority Leader Eric I. Cantor stressed self-reliance and an entrepreneurial spirit as he laid out his vision of America during a speech Friday at the University of Virginia.

Washington Post: Russell Pearce, Arizona Immigration Law Author, says Romney's ‘Policy is Identical to Mine' Mitt Romney's tough stance on illegal immigration during the 2012 campaign has won him the support of an influential conservative voice on the issue -- Russell Pearce, the former Arizona state Senate president and author of the state's controversial anti-illegal immigration law.

State and Local Update:

The Pueblo Chieftain: Discounted Tuition for Illegal Immigrants Passes in Senate  The Colorado Senate this morning passed a Pueblo lawmaker's bill that would create a discount rate of college tuition for illegal immigrants who attended high school in the state.  Under SB15, sponsored by Sen. Angela Giron, D-Pueblo, those students would pay more than the in-state rate of tuition, but less than the nonresident rate that currently applies to them.