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1. Admin to move with contractor requirement
2. US accepts 1350 Palestinian refugees
3. Sen.switching stance on amnesty
4. Panel recommends overhaul
5. MA gov. pushes in-state tuition

1.
Obama Administration to Crack Down on Illegal-Immigrant Workers
By Cam Simpson
The Wall Street Journal, July 8, 2009

Washington, DC -- The Obama administration said Wednesday it would move forward with a Bush-era program aimed at cracking down on illegal-immigrant workers and their employers, just as Republicans in the Senate are pushing legislation that would mandate a similar move.

The Department of Homeland Security said it would implement a regulation requiring federal contractors and subcontractors to ensure that their employees are legally authorized to work inside the U.S. The Obama administration had delayed implementation of that program, saying it was under review.

As of Sept. 8, taxpayer-funded contractors will have to use the government's so-called E-verify system, an Internet-based network that enables employers to compare the names and Social Security numbers of new employees against a government database.

The rule would also cover those who receive funds through the federal economic stimulus program, which was dubbed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124706543524711805.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

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2.
The US is generally reluctant to resettle Palestinians, but these are refugees from Iraq who have been targeted since the invasion.
By Patrik Jonsson
The Christian Science Monitor, July 7, 2009

Atlanta -- The State Department confirmed today that as many as 1,350 Iraqi Palestinians – once the well-treated guests of Saddam Hussein and now at outs with much of Iraqi society – will be resettled in the US, mostly in southern California, starting this fall.

It will be the largest-ever resettlement of Palestinian refugees into the US – and welcome news to the Palestinians who fled to Iraq after 1948 but who have had a tough time since Mr. Hussein was deposed in 2003. Targeted by Iraqi Shiites, the mostly-Sunni Palestinians have spent recent years in one of the region's roughest refugee camps, Al Waleed, near Iraq's border with Syria.

"Really for the first time, the United States is recognizing a Palestinian refugee population that could be admitted to the US as part of a resettlement program," says Bill Frelick, refugee policy director at Human Rights Watch in Washington.

Given the US's past reluctance to resettle Palestinians – it accepted just seven Palestinians in 2007 and nine in 2008 – the effort could ruffle some diplomatic feathers.

For many in the State Department and international community, the resettlement is part of a moral imperative the US has to clean up the refugee crisis created by invading Iraq. The US has already stepped up resettlement of Iraqis, some who have struggled to adjust to life in America.

The resettlement of Iraqi Palestinians is "an important gesture for the United States to demonstrate that we're not heartless," says Alon Ben-Meir, a professor of international relations and Middle Eastern studies at New York University.

But some critics say the State Department is sloughing off its problems onto American cities, especially since in this case the Palestinians were sympathizers of Hussein, who was deposed by the US.

"This is politically a real hot potato," says Mark Krikorian, director of the conservative Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, adding, "[A]merica has become a dumping ground for the State Department's problems – they're tossing their problems over their head into Harrisburg, Pa., or Omaha, Neb."
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http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0708/p02s04-usgn.htm?print=true

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3.
Gillibrand finds new ground on reform
By Susan Falvella-Garraty
The Irish Echo (NYC), July 8, 2009

July 8, 2009 Even as she faces into a battle for her Senate seat next year against Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is moving away from her onetime opposition stance on immigration reform.

In doing so she has received strong support from the Obama White House and her fellow New York senator, Charles Schumer, both powerful allies, as she girds herself to fight to retain her seat in the now to be contested 2010 Democratic primary.

At the recent Irish American Democrats political action committee fundraiser in Washington, Sen. Gillibrand signaled a sea change in direction on dealing with the millions of illegal immigrants in the U.S.

"I pledge that I will work with you," said Gillibrand to the crowd of newly elected and re-elected members of the House of Representatives, most of whom back immigration reform proposals that include elements of amnesty for those, including thousands of Irish, currently living in the U.S. illegally.

"I know the importance of immigration reform, we need to work to have it with family re-unification as a priority," said Gillibrand.

Before the gathering that day, Gillibrand joined Schumer and Senators Edward Kennedy and Robert Menendez in re-introducing the Reuniting Families Act, a measure designed to help families separated over visa issues.

The law had previously been introduced in 2008, but was never voted upon, so necessitating its reintroduction in this congressional session.

Gillibrand chose not to co-sponsor the same legislation when she represented upstate New York as a House member.

Gillibrand, whose grandmother, Polly Noonan, was a fixture in Albany Democratic politics for decades, did not make previous appearances with the Irish American Democrats while a House member.

According to a variety of groups advocating rights for immigrants, Gillibrand has previously opposed drivers licenses for illegal immigrants and has been a proponent of local law enforcement checking on immigration status of those brought into custody.

In doing so she has received strong support from the Obama White House and her fellow New York senator, Charles Schumer, both powerful allies, as she girds herself to fight to retain her seat in the now to be contested 2010 Democratic primary.

At the recent Irish American Democrats political action committee fundraiser in Washington, Sen. Gillibrand signaled a sea change in direction on dealing with the millions of illegal immigrants in the U.S.
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http://www.irishecho.com/newspaper/story.cfm?id=19449

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4.
Task Force to Recommend Overhaul of U.S. Immigration System
By Spencer S. Hsu
The Washington Post, July 8, 2009

A bipartisan task force will recommend today that the United States overhaul its immigration system in response to national security concerns, saying that the country should end strict quotas on work-based immigrant visas to maintain its scientific, technological and military edge.

"The continued failure to devise and implement a sound and sustainable immigration policy threatens to weaken America's economy, to jeopardize its diplomacy, and to imperil its national security," concluded an independent Council on Foreign Relations panel, co-chaired by former Florida governor Jeb Bush (R) and former Clinton White House chief of staff Thomas V. "Mack" McLarty III.

The report comes as President Obama and Congressional Democrats say they expect to begin debate on a comprehensive immigration plan within a year. But key Republicans -- including Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the 2008 Republican presidential nominee and co-sponsor of previous overhaul legislation -- have said a plan must include expanding temporary-worker programs.

The panel did not recommend allow more guest workers, but threw its support to a 2006 recommendation by the Migration Policy Institute that was endorsed by labor union leaders to create a standing commission to establish future legal immigration levels based on economic conditions. It also called for strong border enforcement and a mandatory work document verification system based on fingerprints or eye scans.

"In the global competition to attract highly talented immigrants, the United States must ensure that it remains the destination of first choice," the group concluded, such as by minimizing restrictions on scientific collaboration and permitting broader recruitment of newcomers who bolster U.S. military capabilities. "America's long-term security depends on maintaining its place as a world leader in science and technology."

The panel also recommended "earned legalization, not amnesty" for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants now living in the United States, requiring those who wish to stay to work, pay taxes, learn English, pass background checks, pay fines and wait their turn behind legal immigrants.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/08/AR200907...

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5.
Patrick: Immigrant in-state tuition 'alive' but faces 'uphill climb'
By Kyle Cheney
The Eagle Tribune (North Andover, MA), July 7, 2009

Addressing an issue that was prominent during his run for governor but has faded since he took the Corner Office, Gov. Deval Patrick said Tuesday that he would sign a bill that enables immigrants to pay the same tuition rate at public colleges as state residents.

"The issue's alive," he said in a rare 80-minute sit-down interview with about two-dozen reporters from ethnic media outlets across the state. "If one of those bills comes to me, and it's the right bill - and I think most of them are - I will sign it."

Patrick was responding to questions from reporters about whether the issue was "dead" for the remainder of his first term. He said that as long as bills are pending in the Legislature, the issue is viable.

"I'm going to ask you to just hang on for a bit," he added, noting the many competing agenda items. "I think there is interest in the Legislature. It won't be easy. This will be an uphill climb in many respects."

Patrick said he and his staff are determining the order of his agenda priorities for the next 18 months and he assured reporters that in-state tuition would be in the mix. The governor expressed support while campaigning for the so-called in-state bill, but hasn't filed his own legislation on the issue. A bill filed by Rep. Marie St. Fleur (D-Boston) with 36 cosponsors would extend in-state tuition rates to immigrants that have attended high school in Massachusetts for at least three years.

The bill, before the Committee on Higher Education, hasn't had a public hearing as the two-year session hits its seventh month. Reporters, gathered in the governor's press briefing room, grilled the governor on how he would pay for health care coverage for 30,000 immigrants that the Legislature moved to take off the insurance rolls, how he feels about the financial struggle of newspapers and his view on what it would mean if a minority candidate won Boston's mayoral election.
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http://www.eagletribune.com/punews/local_story_189071236.html