New census milestone: Hispanics to hit 50 million

The Associated Press reports that Hispanics accounted for more than half of the U.S. population increase over the last decade.  Official census data has the number of Hispanics at roughly 47 million and that total is expected to surpass 50 million when figures for New York, Maine, And the District of Columbia are released.  The population changes will result in the shift of 12 house seats and electoral votes affecting 18 states, including Mississippi, Georgia, Maryland, Florida, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, California, Mexico, and Hawaii.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110324/ap_on_re_us/us_census2010_population

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USCIS halts green-card decisions for same sex-spouses

The Washington Post reports that foreign nationals who are married to U.S. citizens of the same sex may apply for spousal green cards, but the approval process will be put on hold until the USCIS receives guidance from the Department of Homeland Security.  This decision was made in response to the Obama administration’s announcement that it would no longer defend the constitutionality of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. 

http://www/washingtonpost.com/politics/federal-agency-halts-green-card-decisions-for-some-gay-immigrants/2011/03/28/AFcCIErB_story.html

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Arizona rejects more immigration crackdowns

Politico reports that the Arizona Senate rejected five immigration enforcement and birthright citizenship measures.  One bill would have required hospitals to check the citizenship status of patients and notify authorities if they suspected anyone in their care of being an illegally present immigrant.  Another bill would have demanded public school districts to monitor the children of illegally present immigrants.  A third measure would have required proof of citizenship or legal immigration status in order to attend state universities or collect federal benefits.  The final two bills were designed to trigger a court challenge to birthright citizenship as defined by the 14^th amendment.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/51541.html

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Japanese nationals eligible for immigration help

The Associated Press reports that USCIS has offered temporary immigration benefits for Japanese nationals struggling after the earthquake and tsunami.  Eligible nationals may seek an extension of nonimmigrant status, expedited processing of advance parole requests, quick review of requests for off-campus employment authorization for F-1 students, accelerated employment authorization, and hastened processing of immigrant petitions for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.

http://www.necn.com/03/18/11/Japanese-nationals-eligible-for-immigrat/landing_nation.html?&blockID=3&apID=6d591bcadcb3496db0cc03a647e56426

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Maryland Senate approves in-state tuition bill

The Washington Post reports that the Maryland Senate passed legislation that would make undocumented immigrants eligible for in-state tuition benefits at the state’s public colleges.  The bill’s lead sponsor, Sen. Victor R. Dominguez, says it is essential to offer educational opportunities to the children of illegally present immigrants, arguing that they didn’t choose to come to Maryland, their parents did.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/politics/maryland-senate-approves-in-state-tuition-bill/2011/03/14/ABxs2IW_story.html

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Study: More immigrant families are intact

United Press International reports that a study conducted by sociologists at Penn State University shows that children of immigrants are more likely to live in households with two married parents than children of natives in similar ethnic groups.  The study asserts that the intact family structure may offer immigrant children economic and social advantages that help them adapt to life in the United States.    

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2011/03/15/Study-More-immigrant-families-are-intact/UPI-34741300246503/

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Committee OKs college financial aid for illegally present immigrants

The Press Enterprise (Riverside, CA) reports that a California legislative committee passed two bills that would make illegally present immigrant students eligible for financial aid.  Although former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed earlier versions of the measure, backers are optimistic that Governor Jerry Brown will be supportive since he has campaigned in favor of the California Dream Act.

A 2001 law granted illegally present immigrants who spend three years in and graduate from a California high school in-state tuition, but these students are ineligible for financial aid.  One of the bills, AB 131, would give those students access to state-funded financial aid while the other, AB 130, would make students eligible for millions of dollars in private scholarship money.

http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_dream16.22ca54f.html

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Kansas House committee bottles up immigration bill

The Kansas City Star reports that the Kansas House Judiciary Committee voted against a proposal that would require law enforcement to check the immigration status of those they suspect to be illegally present immigrants.  The bill also would have required state and local governments and their contractors to run citizenship for anyone seeking public aid.  Some Republicans had tried to amend the bill tor require law enforcement to have ‘probable cause’ to run a background check.

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/03/14/2726156/kansas-committee-bottles-up-immigration.html

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SD House rejects bill to punish businesses that hire illegally present immigrants

The Associated Press reports that the South Dakota House rejected a bill that would have made it a state crime to hire illegally present immigrants by imposing a civil for a first offense and harsher penalties for subsequent offenses.  The measure failed 33-35 with opponents arguing that the bill was an unnecessary duplication of federal law.  Supporters argued that the state needed to take action because the federal government has not done enough to enforce national immigration laws.

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/12915949056c48dd805d61dbc469be42/SD-XGR--Illegal-Immigrants/

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Study: U.S. immigration policies may cause dearth of talent

The Economic Times reports that a study released by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas says that the strict numerical cap on employment-based visas has caused a slowdown in the entry of highly-skilled migrants.  The report titled ‘From Brawn to Brains’ notes that immigrants with more than a high school education contributed $105,000 more in taxes than they used in public services, while lower-skilled migrants actually cost $89,000 more than they contributed in taxes.  U.S. Federal senior economists pointed out that too much focus in Washington on illegally present immigrants has overshadowed the fact that the legal system of immigration needs comprehensive reform in order to fix a ‘web of outmoded, contradictory and inefficient quotas, rules, and regulations.’  The report is available at: http://www.dallasfed.org/fed/annual/2010/ar10b.pdf

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/services/travel/visa-power/us-immigration-policies-may-cause-dearth-of-talent-study/articleshow/7682738.cms

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Immigration crackdown moves in Florida House

The Herald Times (FL) reports that the Florida House passed an immigration reform measure that would require police to check the immigration status of a person who is under arrest or subject of a criminal investigation. In addition, all employers would be required to verify their employees’ work statuses.  Although Governor Rick Scott pledged to bring an Arizona-style immigration law to Florida, this measure stops just short of Arizona’s requirement to determine the immigration status of a person with whom a police officer makes ‘any lawful contact.’ 

The Miami Herald reports that Republican Sen. Anitere Flores introduced a bill to the Senate that would require jail, prison, and other detention officers to check the status of an inmate.  Advocates from the Florida Immigrant Coalition and business interests such as the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Florida United Business Association have voiced their opposition to both measures.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/11/2108920/immigration-crackdown-moves-in.html

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/14/2115000/florida-senate-relaxes-e-verify.html?asset_id=2115073&asset_type=audio

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