1. Analysis: Econ. to be Obama's focus
2. Vicente Fox calls for amnesty
3. TX co. to begin use of database
4. Activists planning march

1.
Economic Crises Will Take Precedence Over Near-Term Immigration Overhaul
By Joel Millman and June Kronholz
The Wall Street Journal, November 12, 2008
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122645231349219391.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

The next administration's preoccupation with economic crises will likely prevent immigration advocates from capitalizing on steep losses suffered by their foes in last week's election, delaying any attempt to ease entry for people in the U.S. illegally.

Of the 13 House Republicans who lost their seats on Nov. 4, nine were members of the Immigration Reform Caucus, which has opposed a path to citizenship for the country's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants. A 10th member, Virginia's Virgil Goode, is trailing in a race still too close to call.

In addition, caucus founder Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado is retiring, as is Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, another voice for increased border security and crackdowns on illegal immigration.

Together, these losses shifted the political landscape on a problem that has defied solutions over the past two decades.

The camps break down roughly along these lines: Business and immigrant groups argue for a three-pronged approach that includes legalizing immigrants who overstayed visas or entered the U.S. illegally; enhancing border security; and admitting more workers as the economy needs them. Social conservatives and law-and-order Republicans have argued that the border should be secured before there is any plan to expand immigration.

Many Republican candidates' strong stand against illegal immigrants was read by voters as anti-Latino, and likely hurt incumbents in Florida, Virginia and Colorado. More than 100,000 newly naturalized citizens registered to vote in Florida, where Reps. Tom Feeney and Ric Keller, both members of the immigration-reform caucus, lost their seats.

Immigration wasn't the only issue in any of those races. But in a study to be released Wednesday, the pro-immigration group America's Voice found that of 20 races in which candidates drew sharp distinctions on immigration, hard-line "enforcement only" advocates lost in 18.

Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina counted on support from law-and-order voters when she ran ads on her work linking local sheriffs to a federal program targeting illegal immigrants. The move backfired after Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell, who was campaigning with Sen. Dole, was quoted in a Charlotte newspaper characterizing Mexican immigrants as "trashy."

Sen. Dole's contest was one of five Senate races in which anti-immigrant candidates lost, America's Voice concluded.

Roy Beck, of the group Numbers USA, disagrees. "Voters didn't punish anybody for taking strong enforcement stands," Mr. Beck wrote. "In most cases, our allies were replaced by challengers who worked hard to convince voters that they were just as tough -- or tougher -- on illegal immigration as the incumbents."

But the defeat of so many caucus members has left immigrant groups optimistic that the Obama administration will reward Hispanic voters for their support with some sort of legalization program.

That doesn't mean a comprehensive immigration overhaul will be a legislative priority, or that its chances of passing are significantly better in Congress, though -- and the president-elect didn't make any promises during the campaign. Mr. Obama will be focused on the economy and tax policy and isn't likely to expend political capital on such a divisive issue, many immigration experts say.

There is also no leader to take up the immigration cause in place of Sen. Edward Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who is fighting cancer. Sen. John McCain was the lead Republican advocate of revamping immigration laws, but he took intense heat from primary voters for his stand and largely dropped the issue during his presidential campaign.

"Conventional wisdom that amnesty is a done deal is incorrect," says Mark Krikorian, director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington group opposed to increased immigration.

Immigrant groups have long feared that any stand-alone bill seeking legalization for millions of undocumented residents would fail, and have insisted on legalization being part of a broader immigration bill. "Illegals are so divisive [as a political issue] that the groups know there have to be sweeteners to get an overhaul passed," said Kara Calvert of the Information Technology Industry Council.

But various groups have their own reasons to avoid lumping every immigration issue into an omnibus bill.

High-tech employers may argue for a separate bill that would provide more temporary visas and permanent green cards to engineers, mathematicians and scientists whom they believe would help spur the economy, she added. Agriculture may make the same case, arguing that it needs field workers to prevent production from moving to Mexico.

That could fracture the business-union-immigrant coalition behind bills that failed in 2005 and 2007. Trade unions will likely oppose a temporary-worker plan that was part of both earlier bills -- and a must-have for employers -- because it would affect jobs during a recession.

A hint of Congress's and the administration's intentions could come in March when the E-Verify program, which lets employers electronically verify the status of new workers, expires. The program is a cornerstone of the Bush administration's enforcement policies, but has detractors among civil-libertarian and immigrant groups. The next administration could seek a five-year renewal, a brief extension or let it expire.

Another key will be whether the Obama administration continues workplace raids, which have resulted in the arrest of thousands of illegal workers and criminal prosecution of at least some managers. The Bush administration, after pushing Congress for a legalization program, stepped up the raids after legislation failed.

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2.
Former Mexican president says Obama must address immigration
The Associated Press, November 11, 2008
http://www.kptm.com/Global/story.asp?S=9332731&nav=menu606_24_5_1

Omaha, NE (AP) -- Former Mexican President Vicente Fox says that while economy may be among many priorities facing President-elect Barack Obama, immigration can't get lost among the issues.

Fox says building a fence between the United States and Mexico is not the answer.

Fox pointed to legislation introduced by Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy. Supporters saw it as creating a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Critics blasted the plan, likening it to amnesty.

But Fox says it's solid and needed to bring resolution.

Fox spoke to a crowd of thousands today at the Orpheum Theater in Omaha, and also in an interview with The Associated Press.

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3.
Dallas County to check immigration database
By Anabelle Garay
The Associated Press, November 11, 2008
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6107327.html

Dallas (AP) -- Jailers in Dallas County and four North Carolina counties will soon be able to check inmates' criminal and immigration histories simultaneously as part of a growing new nationwide program, federal officials said Tuesday.

The "Secure Communities" program will expand to more than 50 jails around the country by spring, allowing officials access to both federal criminal and immigration records when they take suspects' fingerprints during the booking process, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.

When fingerprints match those of a non-U.S. citizen, ICE's Law Enforcement Support Center will electronically be notified so agents can evaluate the case and decide how to handle it. Local law enforcement can only handle state or local charges that might be filed. Any immigration charges would be handled by federal officials or local law enforcement officials who are trained and authorized to enforce immigration law under ICE supervision.

"I think this is one of the programs that has the most potential to really revolutionize law enforcement in terms of identifying criminal aliens," Julie Myers, assistant secretary of homeland security, told The Associated Press.

While the program targets jailed immigrants, ICE is focusing on those who have committed serious crimes, Myers said.

"It keeps some of the most violent aliens ... off the streets and ensures ICE identifies them and sends them home," she said.

In cases involving people who committed less serious offenses, ICE would consider its staffing levels and resources in deciding how to proceed, Myers said.

"There may be cases where we don't have the staff or have to respond later on," she said.

Not everyone whose information is found in the immigration database is an illegal immigrant. The database includes information on non-U.S. citizens who are legally in the country. Those who have not had contact with a DHS agency might not be included in the database, so additional investigation would be necessary in such cases to determine where the person is from and if they have permission to be in the U.S., Myers said.

Some see a potential for problems in letting local law enforcement access records on immigration, in which violations are considered civil and not criminal, said Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum. Noorani also worries about what could happen if inaccurate or outdated information is in the database.

"If we're relying on bad data to enforce the law, people are going to be swept up who are not criminals," he said.

Dallas County and Wake County in North Carolina are scheduled to begin using the program Wednesday. Gaston, Buncombe and Henderson counties in North Carolina will begin using it by next week.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office in Texas and Suffolk County in Massachusetts began using the program recently.

Congress has provided ICE with $350 million for the program but additional money would be needed in the future to keep "Secure Communities" going, Myers said.

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4.
US Immigrant Groups To March A Day After Obama Takes Over
Agence France Press, November 12, 2008
http://www.easybourse.com/bourse-actualite/marches/us-immigrant-groups-t...

Washington, DC (AFP) -- Immigrant rights organizations have called for a major march on Washington on January 21, the day after Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th U.S. president.

Defenders and advocates of tens of millions of immigrants will take to the streets to press their case for immigration reform and remind Obama of one of the policy planks he plugged on the campaign stump as he wooed the Hispanic vote.

"On January 21 we will be here in Washington to ask for reforms and for an end to the raids" at workplaces that have seen illegal immigrants arrested and deported, said Angelica Salas, director of the Los Angeles-based Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights.

"We ask the president-elect to consider immigration reform one of his 10 domestic priorities," she said Tuesday, adding that she hoped reform legislation would begin "in the first 100 days" of an Obama administration.

Congress failed to pass the most recent version of sweeping immigration legislation, in 2007, which would have given legal status and a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants residing in the United States.

Obama and his rival in the 2008 presidential race, Republican Senator John McCain, had been involved in negotiations over the text, and immigration reform earned broad support from both Obama and McCain on the 2008 campaign trail.

But in the final months before the election, immigration swiftly took a back seat to the deepening and more pressing economic crisis.

"We know it is important for our country," Salas said, referring to the financial meltdown, but "we understand that we must also work for the other things that are very important."

Chung-Wha Hong, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, said organizers were "trying to mobilize tens of thousands of immigrants" for the march, which would highlight the vital role immigrants could play in an American economic recovery.

"The kind of effort we are going to make as a country to get us out of this economic mess is going to be required of any one of us, including immigrants," said Chung-Wha.

The immigrant vote proved crucial for an Obama victory, march organizers have said.

Hispanics cast about 10 million votes - 30% more than in 2004, according to experts - and fully 67% of them voted for Obama and for congressional Democrats who reinforced their party's majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives.

With just ten weeks left in the administration of President George W. Bush, Chung-Wha pleaded for a moratorium on the highly controversial raids to round up and deport illegals.

Critics stress that the raids, undertaken by police and the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement division, end up tearing families apart and devastating businesses which serve immigrant communities.

Such raids prompted angry marches in dozens of American cities in 2006.

Organizers of the January 21 march, totaling some 30 nongovernmental organizations, announced they will quickly begin lobbying lawmakers in Congress to drive the immigration agenda.

"We are going to push it and keep it as a priority," said Jessica Alvarez, president of the National Capital Immigration Coalition.