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Congress has just 24 legislative days left to leave America with a better immigration policy.
Politico published a list of lawmakers’ “must-do” legislation this week and immigration wasn’t on it. The counter on our homepage has been ticking down the days, hours, and seconds since this Congress started in January of last year. Most of them were elected during the worst border crisis in history but they still haven’t closed the legal loopholes that facilitated it.
Tell Congress Their Time Is Running Out
In Other News
Lottery: We warned you last week that the State Department’s pause on the program that awards U.S. green cards by lottery was unlikely to last. This week, a judge ordered the government to resume raffling off paths to citizenship. Sixty-seven Members of Congress have earned an A in this category for working to end the lottery.
Candidate Comparisons
We’ve compiled a list of 22 competitive races where the immigration contrast between candidates is sharpest. If you’re in a safe district and want to know where the immigration action is, you’ll find it at the link.
For example:
Iowa (Toss-Up): Rep. Ashley Hinson vs. Josh Turek.
ICYMI
Long-Term Impact: Whether they are running on it or not (mostly not), the next Congress’s immigration policies will have a profound long-term impact on how we manage water in the United States, from sewage management to surface and groundwater resilience. Explore the possible scenarios.
H-1B: Vice President Vance exposed the H-1B program and the “pernicious” belief that “Americans are not good enough for jobs in their own country.”
OPT: NumbersUSA’s citizen lobby has contributed more than 1,000 comments on the proposed rule aimed at reducing the size of the Optional Practical Training program. Comment by Nov. 9!
Feel free to use this language:
Optional Practical Training (OPT) was created out of thin air and needs to be eliminated. However, until the program is terminated, I support the proposed fees. DHS is right that the F-1 visa “was never intended to provide a pathway to employment in the United States.” A student visa is for study, and it should end with the degree. OPT provides a multi-year work permit that Congress never approved. There is no statutory authorization for foreign students to engage in work in the United States. There are no wage requirements or numerical limits. And, there are no protections for American workers who must compete with foreign students seeking to work in the United States. The proposed fee will deter use of the OPT program and prioritize deserving American students.
This Week In Immigration History
October 15 & 17, 1986: Final Congressional Approval (Conference Report) of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA).
Forty years ago this week, Congress wrapped up five years of debate with a grand compromise that was often described as a “three-legged stool”:
- A one-time amnesty for millions of illegal aliens
- Sanctions against employers who hire illegal workers
- Border enforcement
The results were strikingly off the mark.
- The amnesty included a “special agricultural worker” program that the New York Times later declared “one of the most extensive immigration frauds ever perpetrated against the United States Government.”
- The workplace enforcement never materialized.
- The population of illegal immigrants was back where it started within a few years.
The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), signed by President Reagan, broke the public’s trust in “comprehensive immigration reform.”
We are still waiting for worksite enforcement.
NumbersUSA In The News
The Bill Martinez Show: Andre talked about how close we are to reverting to Biden’s immigration policies.
Parsing Immigration Policy: Roy was a guest on the podcast hosted by Mark Krikorian. Too many in Congress let their open-borders ideology override their concern for their vulnerable constituents. Roy explains how they can learn from Frederick Douglass and A. Philip Randolph, two great Americans who found a way to be pro-immigrant and support lower numbers to prioritize American workers.
Quote of the Week
“Businesses — especially in sectors like hospitality, food, construction, and personal services — become dependent on migrants’ cheap labor…government agencies and nonprofit contractors build programs around migrants…Those dependencies eventually create political pressure of their own…” – Alicia Nieves, “Why It’s So Hard To Fight Mass Migration,” Unheard
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