May 2015 Immigration News At a Glance

Written by Kara DeDonato

 

In this month’s edition of Immigration News At a Glance, we take a look at all of the currently declared 2016 presidential candidates and their views on immigration. Then, stay tuned for a brief rundown of the most recent immigration news in and around New York City.

 

Declared democratic candidates for the 2016 presidential election

Hillary Clinton

Clinton supports President Obama’s executive action and would argue for more comprehensive reform. She is perhaps the most robust advocate for immigration reform in the current presidential arena.

As a state senator, Clinton did support comprehensive immigration reform in 2007. However, she has made conflicting statements in the past and her voting record shows a moderate stance on immigration.

She has stated that presidential candidates seeking anything less than a full and equal path to citizenship are, in effect, talking about a second class status. More can be found on her current stance in this article of The Washington Post.

 

Bernie Sanders

Sanders also supports the President’s executive action. He has voted for comprehensive immigration reform in the past, and voted in favor of the most recent Senate comprehensive reform bill in 2013.

 

Declared republican candidates for the 2016 presidential election

Ted Cruz

As the son of Cuban immigrants, Cruz has a moderate immigration stance. However, as stated on his website, he is not a supporter of President Obama’s immigration actions. He also voted against the 2013 comprehensive immigration reform bill.

As the representative of a border state (Texas), he has maintained a tough stance on undocumented immigration across the country’s borders, and has instead focused on initiatives that would make legal immigration much more accessible. That said, he has not ruled out a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

 

Rand Paul

Rand Paul does not believe in ‘amnesty,’ the label often applied to policies that create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. He is also a proponent of strict border control. Paul voted against the 2013 comprehensive immigration reform package and has also introduced a bill that would end ‘birthright citizenship’ or the granting of citizenship to children born on US soil to non-American parents.

 

Marco Rubio

Rubio does support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, as long as they have been in the US for more than 10 years and have no criminal record. He was one of the eight senators who introduced a bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill in 2013. He is the only senator from the bipartisan group that is currently running in the 2016 election. His participation in the group is considered a political liability by the GOP.

 

Ben Carson

A neurosurgeon and presidential longshot, Ben Carson believes that the US immigration system needs an overhaul by way of a bi-partisan bill and opposes President Obama’s executive action. However, most of his rhetoric on immigration has focused on strengthening border security and disincentives to undocumented immigration.

 

Carly Fiorina

Carly Fiorina has announced that she would be open to a pathway to citizenship for current undocumented immigrants in the United States, but only after the legal immigration system has been fixed. Like most Republicans, Fiorina focuses much of her attention on tougher border control. However, she does support the DREAM Act.

 

Mike Huckabee

While preparing for his bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, Huckabee released a video, in which he derides Obama’s executive action, and argues for tougher border control and limited legal immigration. However, Huckabee has stated that children who were brought here by their parents should not be punished for their undocumented status.

 

Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum, the most recent individual to declare his candidacy, included one of the toughest stances on immigration in his announcement speech. In his statement, Santorum blamed both legal and undocumented immigration for a decline in jobs and wages for American citizens.

 

George Pataki

Pataki has been very vocal in his criticism of President Obama’s executive action, and has voiced his support for English immersion over bilingual education.

Just before publication, Lindsey Graham announced his candidacy on June 1, followed by Rick Perry on June 3. Also of note, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, and Chris Christie have not yet declared their candidacies. Should they declare, they are projected to be GOP frontrunners along with Rand Paul and Marco Rubio.

 

Zooming in on New York Immigration News

In May, some of the city’s top business women got together to devise a plan to help struggling female entrepreneurs. The initiative is part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Women Entrepreneur NYC (WE-NYC) advisory council and will focus on women from lower income outer-borough neighborhoods, many of whom are immigrants.

Simultaneously, New York City’s Department of Small Business Services launched a new initiative that will inform immigrants of the services available to help them start and run a successful business.

The Wall Street Journal also featured an article on New York and New York City’s immigration policies, commenting on the New York State’s progressive immigration measures at a time when most states are becoming more restrictive. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg is helping to shape an immigration reform movement through the Partnership for a New American Economy, which draws important connections between immigrants and economic prosperity.

On a less cheerful note, Feet in 2 Worlds reported on the homelessness epidemic among the city’s young, gay immigrant population. Many young immigrants whose families are not accepting of their sexuality end up on the streets.