Initiative Brings Good News for California Illegal Immigrants

Thanks to an initiative unveiled recently by a California legislator and others, almost a million undocumented immigrants may have the chance to live and work in California without any fear of deportation.

Spearheaded by Felipe Fuentes, D-Sylmar, this measure is termed as the California Opportunity and Prosperity Act. This proposal was filed on Dec 2, 2011 with the office of the state attorney general, which marks the first step toward a drive to collect the signatures of 504,760 voters, which is required to make it eligible for the ballot.

Proponents of the measure call it to be a moderate approach, which is necessitated by inability of the federal government to pass an all-inclusive immigration reform. What's more, such an initiative is likely to generate additional tax revenue from illegal immigrants, which may go up to $325 million. Fuentes even remarked in a written statement that such an initiative shows how California is ready to take the lead on a critical issue when Washington, D.C. fails to act. However, despite the strong support that this measure enjoys, its implementation would be possible only if the federal government agrees not to act against undocumented immigrants at the state's request.

Though the measure has its fairs share of supporters, the opponents too aren't leaving any stones unturned to protest against it vehemently. Assemblyman Tim Donnelly called the proposal a futile attempt to evade immigration law. He added further that since there is a proper process for coming to the country, everyone should respect that.

Illegal immigrants in California, who have lived in the state for four years, can either speak English or are learning it, have no convictions for a criminal act, aren't suspected terrorists, and pay a fee to run the program would benefit from the proposed initiative. Even employers who earlier faced difficulty while hiring such undocumented immigrants, as it's illegal to hire an undocumented immigrant according to the federal law, can now breathe easy. According to the proposed initiative, the state will seek exceptions from the federal government, which in turn would make life easier for both the participants and their employers.

With the improvement in job opportunity scenario for undocumented immigrants, California's tax coffers are sure to swell, which is a welcome move, especially when the state is finding it hard to deal with severe financial challenges. Supporters of the measure tout it to be in sync with California's continuing tradition of supporting trailblazing policies in various areas ranging from medicinal marijuana to environmental protection. They believe that the measure will finally allow longtime California residents, who are undocumented, to become taxpayers and contribute to the society fully. However, opponents countered by saying that it's unlikely for the federal government to grant exceptions for a select group of illegal immigrants.

With both the groups debating the measure with fervor, only time will tell if undocumented workers in California will finally see their lives take a turn for the better.

Explore more about California politics, please read more of my articles on california politics blog

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Rick Perry on Illegal Immigration - The Tea Party Might Not Like Him When They Hear About This

Many conservatives are not happy with Rick Perry on illegal immigration policies. While Texans have known for years that Governor Perry is soft on illegal immigration, the rest of the country is learning where he stands now. Moderates and conservatives strongly support Perry in the recent polls, but conservatives may hold off on supporting him if they know how he really votes on immigration issues.

Here is what you need to know about Rick Perry on illegal immigration issues.

Texas Dream Act
This is one of the most controversial aspects of his agenda. The Texas Dream Act makes it possible for children of illegal immigrants to get in-state tuition rates for college when they graduate from high school. This legislation was passed in 2001 by Rick Perry, and he actively campaigned for the legislation and eagerly signed it when it became law. This is troubling for Tea Party supporters.

Perry has already been questioned about this bill in a recent interview in New Hampshire Leader Union. He does not regret his stance on this issue, and he says he would still support this bill if it came up for a vote again today. While you have to admire Perry's unwavering support of an issue that may backfire on him, this is still troubling for many conservatives in the party.

Illegal immigrants are also eligible for minority benefits that many white students are not eligible for. Out of state students who want to attend Texas schools have to pay higher tuition rates than illegal immigrants who don't pay taxes. Something doesn't seem right about this.

Border Fence
The governor has been clear on his position regarding the border fence being built. He opposes building the fence to stop illegal immigrants from entering the country. For people who live outside Texas, this is a pretty tough position to understand. If you support immigration through the traditional process, then you should support building a fence keeping people out of the United States. If you are concerned about national security issues, you should want the fence!

Perry has repeatedly stated that he is tough on border security, but it is hard to defend his position when he doesn't want the border fence.

E-Verify System
The E-Verify system is a system where federal contractors are required to check all US workers to make sure they are verified to work in the United States. Perry has been opposed to the E-Verify system because he doesn't feel it would make that much difference in companies hiring illegal workers for their workforce.

Trans-Texas Corridor
The governor is in favor of the Trans-Texas Corridor. This is the proposed super highway that would connect Mexico, the United States, and Canada with one super highway running through Texas. This would promote illegal immigration for sure as it would be easier for illegals to cross the border.

I may not like Rick Perry on illegal immigration issues, but I believe that most Tea Party voters will still vote for Perry if he wins the nomination for the GOP. They realize that he is probably the only chance we have to get Obama out of office after 2012.

Rick Perry on illegal immigration is ticking off the Tea Party here! Learn more about Ron Paul here!

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Illegal Immigration - Are Authorities Making a Dent in It?

The Democrats and the Obama administration want to keep the flow of non-criminal illegal immigrants into our nation moving forward, and they wish to provide a path to citizenship. It should be obvious why, they want this next generation of voters to come into the United States, procreate, and provide an endless new population of Democrat Voters. Many might say that I am far too cynical, and it's not fair that I make that statement, however if you look at the Democratic Strategy Playbook, they admit it, and it is part of their focus moving forward so they can remain in leadership role of our government for the next few decades.

Now then, does this strategy make sense, you bet it does from a political standpoint, however from an American standpoint, I think it stinks. What we really need to do in this country is to streamline the immigration and integration process so people can become US citizens without having to break the law. There was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal on August 15, 2011 titled; "Immigration Audits Drive Illegal Workers Underground," by Miriam Jordan.

The article explains the new tact being taken by the immigration department, and how The Border Patrol and US Immigration Service are doing silent raids - the silent raids are much different than the confrontational raids where they roll up unannounced at a business and round up all the workers and check for their IDs, and take the illegal aliens put them in a paddy wagon and cart them off. In a silent raid they come and look at all of the I-9s and make sure that anyone working there is a legal citizen.

They're looking for a paperwork trail, and they also advise the business owner; who is and who is not a legal citizen. The business owner then has to let those employees go who are not actual citizens, and the authorities come back later to make sure that they have done so. The illegal aliens are still in the country, just not able to work. If the business owner hasn't the company is fined, and there can be criminal penalties. Why is the Obama Administration calling these departments to do it that way you ask?

It's simple really because the unions want to prevent competition from companies that do not hire union labor, and may be hiring illegal aliens, giving them the unfair price advantage in the marketplace. This way the Obama Administration and the Democrats can't keep the Hispanic vote, not deal with the real problems, and still get their union organizers to walk precincts and get their vote out. Is this helping, is it making a dent in the illegal immigration and illegal worker programs?

The article suggests that it isn't, and I would submit to you that it is correct. If you drive around your city, you will see people out working who are probably not US citizens, they "maybe" illegal aliens working under the table, but they are doing different kinds of jobs, and there's really no enforcement. Therefore one has to question this entire strategy, and if we are even being true to the laws of our nation. Please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes writing 24,500 articles by August 24th or 25th will be difficult because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off now..

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