Gingrich, Romney Clash Over Immigration To U.S.

Just days before the key Florida primary, the two leading candidates for the Republican nomination for U.S. president have clashed in a debate over immigration to America.

Immigration is seen as a particularly powerful issue in Florida, which has a large Hispanic population.

Many of America’s estimated 11 million illegal immigrants are from Latin American countries.

The debate was the final formal Republican debate before the important Florida primary on January 31, in which the winner will claim all of Florida’s 50 delegates in the race for the nomination to oppose President Barack Obama in November’s election.

Nearly 2,300 delegates are at stake nationwide in the Republican race, and a candidate must accumulate the support of at least 1,144 delegates to win the nomination.

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Support immigration reform: Indian Americans ask Senators

A group of Indian American IT-professionals have asked US Senators to support a key immigration-reform legislation, which if passed would drastically reduce the 'Green Card' waiting period for highly-skilled workers from countries like India and China.

"This as an important step in the effort to reform immigration policy in response to the changing global situation," said the Silicon Valley-based Global Indian Technology Professionals Association in a statement on Monday.

Currently pending the Congress, Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act (HR 3012) proposes to eliminate the per nation cap on employment-based visas in favour of a more fair, 'first come, first serve' system, where all green-card applicants meeting the requirements will have the same waiting period.

"The bill will also reduce the uncertainty faced by organisations in retaining experienced resources critical to support the business," said Khanderao Kand of GITPRO.

GITPRO asked US Senators to support the legislation in the Congress.

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Protocols could allow 14% of immigrants to bypass courts

U.S. immigration officials, testing controversial new protocols that give them discretion to "administratively close" immigration cases instead of taking them to court, have recommended that about 14% of the nearly 12,000 cases reviewed thus far be closed, allowing those people to remain in the United States.

Of the 11,682 immigration cases reviewed in two test cities -- Baltimore and Denver -- officials have recommended closing 1,667 cases, provided they pass a final background check.

The Department of Homeland Security cautioned the numbers are preliminary, and they do not reflect the ultimate number that will be closed.

"For a variety of reasons, including the results of background checks, the final results of the pilot programs will likely differ from these preliminary numbers," Department of Homeland Security official Kim Baronof wrote in a memo obtained by CNN.

But if the 14% were to hold consistent for the 300,000 cases pending before the immigration courts, approximately 42,000 immigrants would bypass the courts and be permitted to stay in the United States.

The Obama administration has touted the use of "prosecutorial discretion" as "smart and effective immigration enforcement," saying it will allow undocumented aliens to stay in the United States in special cases. Immigration officials who make the decisions must consider a long list of factors, such as whether the undocumented immigrant served in the U.S. military, has roots in the community or serves as care provider for a person in need. Prior administrations used similar discretion in vetting cases, Obama administration officials have said.

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Some Immigrants shouldn’t have to make a risky trip ‘home’ to attempt to get green card

The Obama administration has proposed letting certain relatives of U.S. citizens apply for an “unlawful presence” waiver while in the United States. If the proposed rule becomes law, thousands of undocumented immigrants here will find an easier path to permanent residence.

Regular readers of this column know that the unlawful presence bar to permanent residence applies to most individuals who leave the United States after having been here illegally for more than 180 days. Current law allows the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to waive the bar. However, you can’t apply for the waiver until you are already abroad. If the USCIS denies the waiver, you could be stuck abroad for years. Under the proposed rule, some applicants applying as an “immediate relative” of a U.S. citizen may apply for the waiver without leaving the United States. The immediate relative category includes the spouse of a U.S. citizen, the unmarried child under 21 of a U.S. citizen and the parent of a U.S. citizen who is at least age 21. To apply while here under the rule, the applicant must prove extreme hardship to a U.S. citizen parent or spouse.


The unlawful presence bar to permanent residence was added to our immigration laws in 1996 as part of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. It created a three-year bar to permanent residence for individuals who left that United States after having been unlawfully present here for more than 180 days. The bar is ten years for those unlawfully present one year or more. For undocumented immigrants who can interview here - the process called “adjustment of status” - the bar doesn't apply. It’s those who must interview abroad who will benefit from the proposed rule.

Read More: Some Immigrants shouldn’t have to make a risky trip ‘home’ to attempt to get green card

Immigration Law in Effect While Parts of it on Hold

South Carolina's new immigration law is now in effect. Although a federal judge put parts of the law on hold in December.

That included some of the most controversial elements like transportation of illegal immigrants and requiring officers to check the immigration status of people they pull over if they suspect they are in the country illegally.

“Thank you for halting it and looking at every detail because it gives us hope and it gives us an opportunity to be able to continue a dialog with the state of South Carolina as latinos that we are,” said Diana Salazar, Latino Association of Charleston.

Since Arizona's immigration law, which is what South Carolina's is compared to, this state has become one of five to pass it's own immigration law. Governor Haley spokesman, Rob Godfrey said, “If the feds were doing their job, we wouldn't have had to address illegal immigration reform at the state level. But, until they do, we're going to keep fighting in South Carolina to be able to enforce our laws.”

What is in effect as of this week, a requirement for businesses to use E-Verify, an online program that allows employers to input information from required I-9 hiring forms and find out a new employee’s legal work status. South Carolina government jobs, including positions at public universities, have been screened with E-Verify since 2009, as have private jobs at companies with more than 100 employees.

Read More: Immigration Law in Effect While Parts of it on Hold