U.S. Immigration Policy will be soon be a top Issue for Federal and State Lawmakers
Issues surrounding immigration policy in our country have been the source of countless debates and political fights over the past several years. Just look at the strong reaction to the bipartisan immigration reform proposed by Congress and supported by President Bush in 2007. Undoubtedly, President Obama will face the immigration issue once again later in the year. With Texas being on the front lines of all issues related to immigrants (both documented and undocumented), you can be certain that Texans, let alone all Americans, will be following Obama's proposals and progress closely.
As a Presidential candidate, President Obama shared three primary objectives related to immigration. First, he supported more security at our borders and ports through means of extra personnel, improved infrastructure, and better technology. Second, he wanted to streamline the complicated bureaucracy that potential immigrants face to allow more people to come to our country legally. Finally, he wanted to allow undocumented immigrants to pay a fine, learn English, and eventually have the opportunity to obtain citizenship. How will these points of focus affect immigration law here in Texas? We may have to be patient in waiting for our answer. As well predicted by Associate Professor Sean Theriault at the University of Texas at Austin, "The economy is going to be Obama's first, second, third, fourth and fifth priority."
In the meantime, Texas lawmakers have already proposed and presented many bills concerning immigration for this current legislative session. Some of the proposed bills include a fee for wiring money to Latin America, punishing employers for hiring unauthorized workers, and requiring schools to maintain records of immigration status. Muzaffar Chishti, director of the Migration Policy Institute at NYU School of Law said that, "“As long as immigration reform doesn’t happen, the states will ... feel either compelled or obliged to [act]." So, whether it occurs at the national or state level, we will have plenty of legislative action to following in the new year.
At Bertolino LLP, we have immigration attorneys in Austin and San Antonio. We also have Houston immigration lawyers with experience dealing with this hot-button issue in Texas and our immigration lawyers make it their priority to stay on top of all changes that may affect you. If you have any concerns related to immigration law, please contact our Austin, Houston, or San Antonio office today at
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