By Lawrence P. Lataif, J.D., LL.M.
US immigration law and policy takes a beating in our public discourse everyday. Everyone knows something about immigration, but calm discussions often get tossed aside by more pressing issues: jobs, the economy, national debt and deficits, etc. When immigration is discussed, objectivity is rare and truth is almost always an orphan. Almost everyone who speaks about immigration has an agenda and if they don’t deliberately lie, they contort the truth the point that it is unrecognizable. Too much heat, too little light. The typical illegal has not lived here since infancy and is not a valedictorian; nor is the typical illegal a deadbeat or criminal. Sealing the border is an impossible illusion, and blanket amnesty would be an engraved invitation to millions of additional illegals.
After 35 years of practicing immigration law and thinking about its larger policy issues, I have become convinced that sensible immigration reform is both necessary and achievable. I am also convinced that the mainstream media largely ignore flaws in the current immigration laws that raise unnecessary barriers to doctors, scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs who can make enormous contributions to our society, while literally handing out 50,000 green cards a year to foreigners in a lottery. Go figure.
This blog will explore these issues; from trying to explain in plain English the minutia of immigration rules and regulations, to the larger policy issues that beg to be addressed. Among the topics we will explore are:
- Secure communities
- E-Verify
- Employer Sanctions
- Amnesty
- Securing the border
- Path to citizenship
- National ID Card
- Visas for foreign investors
- Green cards: how to get them and keep them
- Naturalization: how to get it and why
- Federal court litigation: how and why to sue USCIS and DHS
We look forward to the dialogue.