The Week Ahead: Sept. 6-9
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“When you look at the so-called 11 million [undocumented] population here, most of them have children who are legal permanent residents or citizens or spouses who have some kind of legal status. And to simply say — well, you know, those 11 million are here illegally; we’re going to deport them — it’s just not a serious policy. It really isn’t.”
— Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, Sept. 2
SUMMARY
Candidate Vague at Best as Phoenix Implements Practical Solutions
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s policy on deportations remains unclear at best following his speech on immigration Wednesday in Phoenix.
Trump highlighted proposals concentrated solely on enforcement that would require all undocumented immigrants — criminal or not — to leave the country, whether by government removal or self-deportation. As he and his campaign staff continue to contradict one another, immigrant advocates across the country continue to ask for clarity on Trump’s intended plans.
Meanwhile, city and state officials continue to try to find solutions for residents in their communities who are undocumented. On the same day Trump spoke, the Phoenix City Council approved a resolution to create a city photo-identification card for residents, including undocumented immigrants, who are facing barriers in receiving government-issued identification.
Presidential Candidates to Discuss National Security at Wednesday Television Forum
A forum tomorrow on MSNBC will feature presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump answering questions on veterans issues, military affairs and national security. The one-hour Commander-in-Chief Forum, presented by NBC News and MSNBC with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, will air live from New York City at 8 p.m. Eastern.
This forum airs as veterans are building consensus around the importance of new-American military recruits and a bipartisan solution on immigration that strengthens our national security, enhances our military readiness and supports our immigrant service members, their spouses and immediate family both at home and abroad.
Support for Immigrants Will Resonate from Labor Day to Election Day and into 2017
From Labor Day through Election Day, the National Immigration Forum will focus its work on the Immigration 2020 values proposition that for America to thrive, new Americans need the opportunities, skills and status to contribute to our country to their fullest potential.
The Forum will highlight the voices and perspectives of center-right allies to drive the immigration debate toward a more positive, constructive conversation while engaging support for implementing practical, bipartisan, long-lasting immigration solutions.
These plans come as the Forum’s newest polling summary finds strong, longstanding support for immigrants and immigration reform — despite the heated rhetoric of election season.
The Forum will release a series of policy papers discussing immigration reform, skills and workforce development, naturalization and citizenship, language learning, and opportunities for new Americans.
A Sept. 27 forum in Miami with the Jack Kemp Foundation will gather conservative leaders for a discussion examining the impact of immigrants and immigration on our country’s national security, workforce, economy and culture.
The Forum’s annual Keepers of the American Dream event, scheduled for Nov. 15, will feature heroes who embody the spirit of immigrant achievement, contribute significantly to the well-being of immigrants, and are advocates for the value of immigrants and immigration.
LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN
Summary of immigration legislation introduced and government reports on immigration:
http://immigrationforum.org/blog/legislative-bulletin-friday-september-2-2016/
MUST READS:
THE WASHINGTON POST: Fact-checking Donald Trump’s immigration speech
By Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Glenn Kessler
September 1, 2016
Donald Trump gave his long-awaited speech on immigration in Phoenix on Aug. 31. Here’s a roundup of some of the more interesting claims he made in the lengthy address; we expect we will dig deeper into some of his other statistics in the coming days. As is our practice, we do not award Pinocchios in speech roundups.
“Illegal immigration costs our country more than $113 billion a year. And this is what we get. For the money we are going to spend on illegal immigration over the next 10 years, we could provide 1 million at-risk students with a school voucher.”
Trump states this $113 billion figure as an undisputed fact, but it comes from a report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which seeks to dramatically reduce legal immigration. So you immediately have to look at the numbers with skepticism.
THE ATLANTIC: Donald Trump and the Politics of Fear
By Molly Ball
September 2, 2016
People are scared,” Donald Trump said recently, and he was not wrong.
Fear is in the air, and fear is surging. Americans are more afraid today than they have been in a long time: Polls show majorities of Americans worried about being victims of terrorism and crime, numbers that have surged over the past year to highs not seen for more than a decade. Every week seems to bring a new large- or small-scale terrorist attack, at home or abroad. Mass shootings form a constant drumbeat. Protests have shut down large cities repeatedly, and some have turned violent. Overall crime rates may be down, but a sense of disorder is constant.
Fear pervades Americans’ lives—and American politics. Trump is a master of fear, invoking it in concrete and abstract ways, summoning and validating it. More than most politicians, he grasps and channels the fear coursing through the electorate. And if Trump still stands a chance to win in November, fear could be the key.
Read more: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/09/donald-trump-and-the-politics-of-fear/498116/
DESERET NEWS: One family’s story of faith, gospel and immigration
By Marjorie Cortez
September 2, 2016
MURRAY — During a recent round-table discussion on the need for immigration reform, the attendees shared their respective interests in the issue.
Some people were business owners who struggle to maintain a workforce, some of them executives in the high-tech world, one of them a farmer. Others championed immigrants’ innovation and entrepreneurship.
Then came the Rev. Steve Klemz’ turn: his wife, Norma, has twice been in deportation proceedings.
Although standing for social justice “is a part of my DNA,” his wife’s and family’s experiences have made the issue of immigration intensely personal, said Rev. Klemz, pastor of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Salt Lake City.
“There’s always been the sense how the church, how our faith, how the gospel makes room for people,” Rev. Klemz said.
But when people talk about immigration in terms of “‘those people are like this,’ I say, ‘You’re talking about my wife.'”
