immigration reform legislation

NCL Action Alert on the Rubio Amendment

/ The Old Crank / 1 Comment

If you have been reading this blog recently, you know that Sen. Marco Rubio (D-FL) has  introduced an amendment to the Senate immigration reform bill, S. 744, (a bill that he co-authored) that would require undocumented immigrants applying for legal residency to prove that they know English, civics and U.S. history at the level currently required only for those applying for full citizenship. The bill as reported out of committee requires either proof of proficiency at that level or documented evidence of satisfactory progress in a course of study that will eventually lead to that level of proficiency.

For those interested in asking their Senator to vote against the amendment, the National Coalition for Literacy (NCL) has posted this action alert. 

Hurry though: the Senate will begin voting on amendments tomorrow, and it is possible that Sen. Rubio’s amendment will be taken up as soon as then.

Senate Immigration Bill – Amendments Submitted Related to English Proficiency

/ The Old Crank / 2 Comments

(Updated Below)

I’ve scanned the amendments submitted thus far to the Senate immigration bill (S.744) and found at least four five that pertain to English proficiency:

S.A. 1204, introduced by Sen. Inhofe (R-OK)
AKA the “English Language Unity Act of 2013’’. Would declare English the official language of the United States government.

S.A. 1205, introduced by Sen. Inhofe (R-OK)
Would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 so that it would be legal for an employer to “require employees to speak English while engaged in work.”

S.A. 1206, introduced by Sen. Inhofe (R-OK)
Would require each government agency, within 180 days of enactment, to provide a “Multilingual Services Expenses Report” that provides a summary and analysis of all multilingual services provided.

S.A. 1225, introduced by Sen. Rubio (R-FL)
Would remove the opportunity for immigrants applying for legal residency status to demonstrate that they are “satisfactorily pursuing a course of study, pursuant to standards established by the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Secretary, to achieve an understanding of English and knowledge and understanding of the history and Government of the United States” at the level of proficiency now required for citizenship. Instead it would require that all immigrant achieve that level of proficiency prior to applying for a green card.

S.A. 1348, introduced by Sen. Fischer (R-NE)
Would insert an English language requirement as a prerequisite to registered provisional immigrant status. Essnetially, an undocumented immigrant who could not demonstrate English proficiency would not be allowed to attain legal status of any kind at all. h/t CLASP

Let me know if I missed anything!

 

UDPATE 6/20/13: I’m updating as I go. Just added the Fischer amendment (see above).

New Migration Policy Institute Brief Offers Demographic, Socioeconomic Data on Unauthorized Immigrants in the U.S.

/ The Old Crank

MPI BriefThe Migration Policy Institute (MPI) has just published a new brief, A Demographic, Socioeconomic, and Health Coverage Profile of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States, which provides all kinds of useful and interesting  data about unauthorized immigrants currently living in the U.S.

The final section of the brief lays out some of the policy implications of the data they have compiled, both in terms of immigration reform and implementation of the Affordable Care Act. For example, under the immigration reform bill that is currently under consideration in the Senate, unauthorized immigrants who are granted registered provisional status (which would permit them to reside and work here legally) would be ineligible for Medicaid or most other federal benefits. MPI’s data suggests that 71% of unauthorized immigrants (47% of children) are uninsured, and the vast majority of them have incomes that fall below the federal poverty level. So it appear that many RPI status holders would struggle to obtain medical insurance under the Senate bill.

Department of Education Releases Fact Sheet on English Literacy Education in the Adult Basic Grant Program

/ The Old Crank

English Literacy Education in the Adult Basic Grant ProgramThe Office of Vocational and Adult Education at the Department of Education recently released a one-page fact sheet on English literacy education in the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) grant program administered by the Division of Adult Education And Literacy. It includes useful statistics on student enrollment, outcomes, and demographics.

I don’t know this for a fact, but I have to assume this was put together as a resource for folks on the Hill working on immigration reform (English language acquisition is an issue in the pending legislation, since the pathway to citizenship will require undocumented immigrants to demonstrate some level of English proficiency).