Immigration Laws

When Ronald Reagan signed a comprehensive immigration overhaul in 1986, he confidently predicted: "Future generations of Americans will be thankful for our efforts to humanely regain control of our borders and thereby preserve the value of one of the most sacred possessions of our people — American citizenship. " More than a quarter-century later, however, that law has not turned out to be the triumph that Reagan envisioned. Instead, those on both sides of the immigration debate see it as a cautionary lesson.

WASHINGTON — The scandals dogging President Barack Obama are a political gift to Republicans, who could use some good luck after recent election losses. It's not clear, however, how Republicans can best capitalize on Democrats' woes, legislatively or politically. Last November's election dynamics complicate the picture on both fronts. Republican leaders are urging a bit of restraint in exploiting the White House's new weaknesses. Legislatively one of Obama's biggest second-term...

Conservative champions of opening the flow of legal immigration into the United States are invoking economics in hopes of winning Republican lawmakers' support — specifically, the idea that more immigration will increase growth and cut the federal budget deficit. The American Action Forum, a conservative think tank, will release an analysis on Tuesday that projects that an overhaul of immigration laws could boost gross domestic product growth by a percentage point each year over the next decade.

As GOP weighs how best to profit from Obama's problems, Democrats hope it overplays its hand WASHINGTON — The scandals dogging President Barack Obama are a political gift to Republicans, who could use some good luck after recent election losses. It's not clear, however, how Republicans can best capitalize on Democrats' woes, legislatively or politically. Last November's election dynamics complicate the picture on both fronts. Republican leaders are urging a bit of restraint in exploiting the White House's new weaknesses.

With their boss playing a busy role in the push to overhaul the country's immigration laws , staffers for Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) still have found time to talk with an unlikely interest group: Wall Street analysts. Investors are interested in the bill because of a handful of provisions that could hurt the profit margins — and stock prices — of outsourcing companies that require a large volume of short-term visas to bring foreign workers to the United States. In recent days, Enrique...

Here's a running transcript of President Obama's remarks at an event in Las Vegas where he is calling for broad changes to the nation's immigration laws. Remarks are being updated as they become available. PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you. (APPLAUSE) Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. (APPLAUSE) Thank you. It is good to be back in Las Vegas. (APPLAUSE) And it is good to be among so many good friends. Let -- let me start off by...

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — President Obama on Saturday completed a three-day visit to Mexico and Costa Rica and now returns to Washington with hopes of finishing what could become the biggest accomplishment of his second term: an overhaul of immigration laws. Obama has said repeatedly during his trip to Mexico City and San Jose that he strongly supports a bipartisan Senate bill that rewrites immigration laws, even if it does not precisely match his vision. The Senate Judiciary Committee is accepting...

The Obama administration expects Congress to begin moving to overhaul the nation's immigration laws early next year, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Friday, adding that improved border security and a drop in migration caused by the economic downturn make such changes "far more attainable" than in 2007. "When Congress is ready to act, we will be ready to support them," said Napolitano, President Obama's "point person" on immigration policy issues. "The first part of 2010, we will see...

Proposed changes to the nation's immigration laws would have made it easier to track one of the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings before the attack, the nation's homeland security chief said Tuesday. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told the Senate Judiciary Committee that one of the two suspected bombers, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, initially escaped the notice of federal authorities on a six-month trip to Russia last year because his name was misspelled on his airline...

This week the Supreme Court is to hear argument in Arizona v. United States , the case that may determine the constitutionality of that state's 2010 law regarding illegal immigrants. Alabama , Georgia, Louisiana and Utah have passed similar laws authorizing police officers to detain and question people about their immigration status. While presiding over a criminal case a few years ago — a prosecution for operating an automobile without documentation of lawful presence in the United States — I...

WASHINGTON — The White House says President Barack Obama plans to meet with Republican Sen. John McCain on Wednesday to discuss ongoing efforts to pass an overhaul of immigration laws and budget issues. McCain, of Arizona, is one of the key Republicans in a bipartisan group of eight senators who drafted broad immigration legislation that would include a path to citizenship for immigrants illegally in the United States. The Senate Judiciary Committee has been assembling the bill as its key sponsors attempt to fend off...

With their boss playing a busy role in the push to overhaul the country's immigration laws , staffers for Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) still have found time to talk with an unlikely interest group: Wall Street analysts. Investors are interested in the bill because of a handful of provisions that could hurt the profit margins — and stock prices — of outsourcing companies that require a large volume of short-term visas to bring foreign workers to the United States. In recent...

The May 5 editorial " Protecting immigration reform " noted that an eligibility cutoff date would likely lead "a couple of hundred thousand . . . [to] remain hidden and off the books, probably for many years. " I had thought the current reform's emphasis on better and more effective data, stronger border infrastructure, etc., was designed to lead to improved enforcement of our immigration laws. Or do you believe Immigration and Customs Enforcement will always be unable to...

As senators working in committee mark up a bill to reform the country's immigration system this week, supporters and opponents are preparing for a fight. The Senate's most recent attempt at immigration failed, reports the Associated Press : Last time around, in 2007, angry calls overwhelmed the Senate switchboard, and lawmakers endured raging town hall meetings and threats from incensed constituents. The legislation ultimately collapsed on the Senate floor. "I've been through this battle, and it's ugly," said former Sen. Trent...

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The challenges facing the Republican Party as it heads into the elections of 2014 and 2016 were on stark display here this weekend as South Carolina Republicans gathered for their annual convention, an event that revealed a party in the throes of some internal strife. The source of the argument seems to boil down to what it means to be a true conservative in the modern Republican Party, and whether the party needs to change in order to broaden its appeal, particularly to Latino voters.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — President Obama on Saturday completed a three-day visit to Mexico and Costa Rica and now returns to Washington with hopes of finishing what could become the biggest accomplishment of his second term: an overhaul of immigration laws. Obama has said repeatedly during his trip to Mexico City and San Jose that he strongly supports a bipartisan Senate bill that rewrites immigration laws, even if it does not precisely match his vision. The Senate Judiciary...

The Obama administration is beginning another effort to change the nation's immigration laws, despite little enthusiasm from Republicans in Congress. President Obama met for more than an hour Tuesday with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, his third session on the issue at the White House in the past three weeks. White House aides promised a renewed push to try to persuade Congress and the American public to back Obama's proposals, which would combine stronger enforcement of current immigration...

A new battle has flared inside the Republican Party in recent days as supporters of more-liberal immigration laws wage a behind-the-scenes campaign to discredit the influential advocacy groups that have long powered the GOP's hard-line stance on the issue. The campaign, largely waged in closed-door meetings with lawmakers and privately circulated documents, is another sign of how seriously many establishment Republicans are pursuing an immigration overhaul in the wake of last year's...

Proposed changes to the nation's immigration laws would have made it easier to track one of the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings before the attack, the nation's homeland security chief said Tuesday. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told the Senate Judiciary Committee that one of the two suspected bombers, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, initially escaped the notice of federal authorities on a six-month trip to Russia last year because his name was misspelled on his airline ticket.

CYNICS IN CONGRESS, eager to derail landmark legislation to overhaul the nation's broken immigration system, have seized on last week's events in Boston as a pretext to slow momentum on the issue. In the process, they may unwittingly provide a push for the very bill they hope to derail. With scant regard for the actual immigration status of the bombing suspects, who came to this country legally as minors, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) nonetheless framed the attacks in Boston in the context of the debate over...