Migration Policy Institute
Senior Fellow and Director of the US Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington nonprofit group that studies immigration and border issues; former Commissioner of the US Immigration and Naturalization Service (1993-2000)
Trump proposes ideological test for immigrants Presidential candidate Donald Trump gave a foreign policy speech in Ohio Monday after a rocky period of missteps, including the back and forth with the father of a slain Muslim soldier, accusing President Obama of founding ISIS, and recent reports that Trump’s campaign manager received millions in cash from pro-Russia Ukrainian interests a few years back. Trump was on message Monday though, when he called for an end to nation building and stressed a need to redefine who America’s allies are in this era of global terrorism. He also proposed significant changes to the immigration system, including an ideological questionnaire for Muslim immigrants and visitors to the US.
Immigration Reform: The Debate Begins Yesterday, the US Senate voted 82 to 15 to let immigration reform come to the floor for the first time in decades. The vote was overwhelming, but nobody thinks it guarantees passage, and some opponents are pushing what supporters call "poison pills." Today, Senators on both sides of the aisle were lined up with amendments. There are bitter differences over border security, the need for workers and whether jobs should be saved for those born in this country. Democrats want to cement their hold on Hispanic voters. Some Republicans want to woo them away. But, is the "path to citizenship" really "amnesty?" We hear about the opening act of a drama that's taken decades to reach the political stage and we'll look at possible outcomes.
Immigration Reform: The Opening Moves President Obama whipped up a crowd of supporters yesterday in Las Vegas, commending both Houses of Congress for taking up immigration reform . He laid down what he called " key markers " to guide immigration reform, adding that if Congress fails to move in "a timely fashion" he'll send up his own bill and demand immediate action. But today's bipartisanship may or may not produce tomorrow's compromise, and everybody agrees that the devil is in the details. If 11 million illegal residents get a "path to citizenship," how many hurdles should they have to jump? How long should it take? Will they have to wait until the border's secure? When will that be? We hear the pros and cons from a former head of the Immigration Service and others.
Arizona Gets Tough on Immigration in Absence of Federal Reform In 2006 the Republican US Senate passed immigration reform, but it never came to a vote in the House, which decided instead to build a fence on the border. In 2007 a Democratic Senate bill was twice withdrawn from the floor. Washington's failure at immigration reform has created a legal vacuum Arizona Republicans are eager to fill. They've passed a bill requiring police to demand papers of anyone they suspect of illegal entry and to bar day laborers from soliciting work on the street. Even chiefs of police warn about racial profiling, and alienating legal workers they need for help in enforcing the law. Others call it bad for business. Supporters are open about its goal of making life as miserable as possible for undocumented workers. We hear both sides.
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.