Comprehensive Immigration is Indeed Bipartisan

Unlike gun control, abortion or gay marriage, Immigration is not a for or against issue.  Both Democrats and Republicans want to reforms Immigration, they just want different things.

The Republicans want business immigration, and the Democrats want to help the illegal Hispanic population. And both sides are tied to their voting blocks.  Democrats think that they can get the Hispanic votes, and the Republicans think they can get the business owner votes.  However there are Hispanics who vote Republican and the business using the most number of Employment based visas, the Computer Industry in Silicon Valley, largely vote Democrat. Both sides need to compromise to get Comprehensive Immigration done.

The Senate Schumer-McCain bill has four broad categories:

1. Establish a hard path of citizenship to the 11 million illegal immigrants

2. Somehow prioritize Immigration to recognize how the American economy will grow by retaining the brightest and the best

3. Create an effective Employment verification system

4. Admit future workers to meet America's needs, ie protect the borders for future influx of illegal immigrants.

These are broad goals. The debate will be in the details. Would immigration be prioritized by the education of the workers? Would country specific quotas be removed?

President Obama has said that more visas would be added to one time to move the lines. Right now Bachelor Degree holders from India, legal residents , have to wait in line for 10.5 years, while Master's Degree holders have to wait for 8.5 years before they get their Immigration. It simply wont be fair for Dreamers with a basic high school education ( and most dreamers have only a high school education) to jump in front of them.

Yet unlike the Indians and Chinese, Mexicans hold more political clout. And Obama and the Democrats seem more focused on painting a bright life for dreamers rather than the Indian and Chinese legal residents with Bachelors degrees or higher. The media highlight the one or two dreamers who have college degrees. But there are no statistics as to how many people have college degrees versus a mere high school degree in DACA applications. 

The same unfairness will be in the gay and lesbian couples. If someone can get their visa for having a straight partner, why should a gay or lesbian couple be denied the same right? And will the religious right go for equality in benefits, even if DOMA is struck down? 

Contact Houston Immigration Lawyer, or Houston Immigration Attorney Annie Banerjee, for more information

Is COMPREHENSIVE Immigration solely a Latino issue?

The Senate has formed a bi partisan committee to work on Immigration issues and plans to put forward a bill as early as March. The committee is headed by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D, NY) who said that the main purpose of the bill was to make sure that illegal immigrants be given a "clear path to citizenship." I understand that the 11 million illegal immigrants are performing a valuable service to this country and SHOULD be made citizens. What I don't understand is why the Democrats and the Obama Administration is so opposed to highly skilled workers legally here, in the United States, and have to wait for years to get their citizenship. These are the "STEM" people, (Science Tech, Engineering and Math) graduates  (mostly masters degree holders and higher) from India and China.

The Democrats have been issuing Executive orders like DACA and making 601 waivers easier. I firmly believe that this is necessary.  But why do they keep the unconstitutional Neufeld memo of Jan 08, 2010 injecting a inane "control" issue into H-1Bs and then using it selectively against the Computer Consulting Industry ONLY, thereby trying to cripple that industry?  What does that say about the intent of Democrats?

Why did ALMOST ALL democrats vote against the Marco Rubio Sponsored STEM bill? If they are so opposed to piecemeal legislation, why issue piecemeal Executive orders?

I am a Democrat, I voted for Obama.  I am just saying the word COMPREHENSIVE means all, not just the Latino issue.  Silicon Valley also votes and pays for campaigns. And we do need highly qualified Science and Math jobs because America does not have enough of them, more than we need the blue colored Latino jobs. Lets make it COMPREHENSIVE, not just a Latino issue.

Contact Houston Immigration Lawyer, or Houston Immigration Attorney,  Annie Banerjee, for more information

Why I came to America

 I want to start this first blog of the year on a personal note.  I came to this country in 1985 because I wanted liberty.  I was a women in India. The rape case in India and the ensuing uproar about women's status brought all those memories back to me afresh.

Back in the early 80s I was a student in the English Department of a prestigious liberal arts college in India, Presidency College, Kolkata. I remember the very day that  I formed a resolution to leave India. A Rhode Scholar, Oxford educated female Professor said, "we are happy when our male students get a good job, but for our female students, we are happy when they get married." I sat there devastated. I was planning to sit the Administrative Services Exam and get a job in India.  But if a liberal women said things like this, what were my chances of success as a women.

Of course this was not the ONLY instance of being treated as a second class citizen for being a women, that I had experienced. In India we did not have the freedom to go around as we wanted. In crowded trams and buses, or even in roads,  males routinely groped women. We could not say anything, because the "shame" would be for the women, not the men who freely violated us, or made cat calls. After dusk, we women were not allowed to go out by ourselves.  Even when I was 18, I had to take my 6 or 7 year old brother to go a short distance to my friend's house. This was humiliating to say the least.

I had to wear a saree in grades 11 and 12 to school. Not only did I not know how to tie the yards of plain cloth to my body, but it restricted lower body movement and in hot summer months it was painful. Life's little inconveniences, but they do add up. I did not run, bike or swim----apart from studying and music,  the only other activity I did was walking to College and libraries. We were bred to be wives and mothers and were given no success ethics in terms of a career. And we had to conform to the mores of what the "village" thought, not free thinking. I dont think I ever questioned the fact that I had an option to not marry or have children. My daughter is choosing that option, and my mother simply cannot understand it. After all, that's what a female does in a society of 1.2 billion people.

When I came to America, I had to fight all those years of pre-programming. Law School taught me free thinking. I learned to bike and swim in my 40s. And yes, I developed a strong hatred for the saree.

There is a popular myth that these days  unless you are an asylee,  people  to America for economic freedom.  That is simply not true. Ever since the dawn of immigration with the Pilgrims, people came to this country to seek freedom.  Even if the means of Immigration is through employment, the reason for Immigration may be freedom. And we in America should strive to preserve those freedom, to become the beacon for people of all colors, nationality and sexual orientation.  The country that our forefathers left behind is changing. Lets not,  in the name of  preservation,  restrict abortion or gay rights. For in the end, we want to become the haven that people all over the world covet.

Contact Houston Immigration Lawyer, or Houston Immigration Attorney Annie Banerjee, for more information

Immigration for New Businesses

The Director of Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), Mr. Alejandro Mayorkas, recently said, in a speech at MIT that the Obama administration realizes that immigration process is bad for new business /entrepreneurs and is working to make it better.

The Obama administration in keeping with their party line, has been far worse than the previous administration on business immigration.  ( And yes, I am a democrat).  In 2010, the administration issued an inane memo about employers "directly controlling" their employees.  When people, including ex Congressman who helped draft the H-1B bill complained, the CIS started selectively using that memo for H-1B from Computer Consulting industry and not other industries. Where is the rule of law, Mr. President?  Additionally,  the approval depends on the whim of individual officers rather than any objective criteria. I know its hard to create an objective black and white rule about businesses which will last, and others which won't, but the CIS should be able to have some of that "direct control" over its employees.

I understand that there is a lot of fraud. Employers may bench employees for some time. However this is the reality of their business. Why not let the market place solve this issue?  It amazes me that change/extension of status is so hard for employment based visas.  Yet these people entered legally and is highly educated.  Why not defer action them, and show some mercy to people who are actually working in high paying jobs and paying taxes?

Business Immigration is an issue that both Republicans and Democrats can agree on.  These immigrants are not illegal, educated with at least a Bachelor's Degree or higher, bring in money, or work and produce income and is good for the economy.  Last year a bill to do away with country quotas passed with a 97% approval in the House. Yet all democrats voted against the Republican sponsored STEM act in December.  Republicans and Democrats, you wont offend anybody, including your base, by agreeing with each other for once.

Contact Houston Immigration Lawyer, or Houston Immigration Attorney Annie Banerjee, for more information

Immigration Reform Can and Should be done Piece Meal

At the onset let me make it clear that I am a Democrat.  And a liberal one at that. But today, I applaud the Republicans and perhaps hate the Democrats on Immigration issues. Today the House will vote for the STEM Act. The Stem act does away with the Diversity visa and gives visas to highly qualified Science and Technology Graduates, who are in the country legally.

The Democrats of course think that these Science and Tech grads will become high earning and won't vote for them. Seriously, Silicon Valley is largely Democratic. But if the Democrats dont do anything for them, maybe Silicon Valley will turn Republican. They Democrats want a huge comprehensive Immigration Act. This is an act for illegals and legals and everyone else.  And this will take time, and may not materialize. The Democrats are also behaving in a high handed manner.  Yes, the country voted Democratic ( for the record I also voted straight party Democrat) for the Presidential election. But the House is still majority Republican. And if the Democrats don't compromise, then just like the last four years, we will have no legislation.

The Democrats have to answer this:  Would the United States benefit more from a highly qualified Science and Math graduate who was born in say India or China, rather than a High School Graduate born in Africa who will come in with the Diversity Visa. Bear in mind, this country still have a lot of high school graduates (heck we still have a lot of college graduates) still looking for work.

Nancy Pelosi and her Democratic colleagues simply cannot be ANTI BUSINESS IMMIGRATION.  Lets face it, the word COMPREHENSIVE means both business and family immigration.  And Immigration is too big an issue to handle all at once.  And lets start piece meal. 

Contact Houston Immigration Lawyer, or Houston Immigration Attorney Annie Banerjee, for more information

Thanking for What?

I wish I could say Thank you for Comprehensive Immigration Reform. I wish I could say thank you to a Congress that actually cared about the people rather than their own reelection. I wish the Republicans and Democrats could work together. 

But I can't. I cant even give thanks to Mr. Obama for the new DACA law.  Why? Because most officers are asking for documents that are sometimes impossible to get. The applicants have to prove that they were in the United States from 07.  After they graduate High School, they work illegally for cash. They live with their parents. Why is it not enough that they went to school here in the United States and graduated high school? 

But the Immigrant vote is growing.  And both Republicans and Democrats need those votes to win.  

On my list:

1. Give legal status to people here illegally, (provided they have a job and clean status) so that they can pay taxes and pay for services rendered to them

2. Do away with country quotas which are remnants of Xenophobia and grant visas to people irrespective of national origin or color, equally

3 Do away with quotas for non immigrant visas and let the free market system dictate the amount

4. Standardize the granting of visas from all consulates around the globe. 

Contact Houston Immigration Lawyer, or Houston Immigration Attorney Annie Banerjee, for more information.

4 More years----We need Immigration Reform

We the people voted in Obama for a second term. In the first term many Republicans in Congress simply would not pass anything.  They wanted the President to fail.  They simply collected pay from the taxes of American people and did nothing.

Mitt Romney, in his concession speech said he would like America to come together. I don't know if this is just another Romney lie. Hopefully they will cooperate, because if not, the public will not look at them favorably in 2016.

However if they dont, Obama need to forge ahead with Immigration Reform. The Deferred action for illegal Immigrants need to become law.  So does business immigration, including entrepreneurs and investors.  And Professionals, And researchers. We build this nation by Immigrants. And to do away with restrictive country quotas for visas. 

We have again elected a black President.  The other choice was a Mormon. Its high time we give Liberty and Justice for all---whether they are gays, immigrants or different religious beliefs.

Contact Houston Immigration Lawyer, or Houston Immigration Attorney Annie Banerjee, for more information