The US government shut down January 20, 2018 for three days when Senate Democrats refused to support a short-term budget bill without protections for unauthorized foreigners who were brought to the US before the age of 16. The government reopened after Republicans agreed to allow a vote on legislation to protect "Dreamers," as they were called in bills introduced in 2001.
Continue reading "Senate fails to approve migration bills"...
President Trump's proposed budget for FY19 includes $47.5 billion for DHS for "strengthening border security, ensuring enforcement of immigration laws, and reforming the legal immigration system." Trump proposed $571 million to hire 2,000 additional Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officiers and $132 million for E-Verify; Trump called on Congress to require all employers to use E-Verify to check new hires.
The UN General Assembly in September 2016 proposed a Global Compact for "safe, orderly, and regular" Migration. The goal is to commit world leaders who sign the GCM in December 2018 to "common principles" and "action items" to strengthen the global governance of migration and to promote the "positive contributions" of migrants.
Continue reading "GCM Zero Draft: From Guest Workers to Immigrants"...
The state's largest peach grower, Gerawan Farms, has been embroiled in a dispute with the United Farm Workers since the early 1990s, and unsuccessfully challenged the state's 2002 Mandatory Mediation and Conciliation (MMC) law. The California Supreme Court in November 2017 held that a union remains certified to represent farm workers until that union is decertified lawfully by current workers.
The Agricultural Job Opportunity Benefits and Security Act (AgJOBS) was negotiated in Fall 2000 by worker and grower advocates. AgJOBS would have legalized most unauthorized farm workers, required them to continue to do farm work for three to five years to earn an immigrant visa, and made it easier for farmers to hire legal guest workers to replace legalized farm workers who found nonfarm jobs.
Continue reading "Will farmers support legalizing aging farm workers?"...