Mexican-American Congressman Raul Grijalva Steps It Up in Arizona and calls out Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer
by Dee Dee Garcia Blase on Jan. 22, 2013, under Legal Immigration ReformI believe giving credit where credit is due. Thank you, Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva, for doing this!
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer’s legacy is SB 1070.
Glad to see leadership in the states bordering Mexico. If you ask me … the answer to the broken immigration system will come from our Representatives who know and understand the problems associated with the broken immigration system. Leadership needs to arise from those who have hurt — particularly when Mexican nationals are the majority who have been deported. It is my hope to see Raul get behind Joaquin Castro’s immigration plan he is taking to Washington D.C. since Texas shares most of the burden associated with the broken immigration system.
A quick snapshot of the bordering states and why leadership needs to come from the states that border Mexico:
Texas: 1,255 miles/64% of border length and has 24 ports of entry
Arizona: 354 miles/18% of border length and has 8 ports of entry
New Mexico: 180 miles/9% and has 3 ports of entry
California: 165 miles/8% of border length and 6 ports of entry
Just in:
Raul Grijalva steps up his game in Arizona
Grijalva Calls on Brewer to Reverse Stance, Allow Deferred Action’ Beneficiaries Driver’s Licenses After New Federal Rule Released
Tuesday January 22, 2013
Washington, D.C. – Rep.Raúl M. Grijalva today welcomed new guidelines by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) clarifying the president’s recently released Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration enforcement policy. The updated guidelines posted on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website confirm that deferred action beneficiaries are “lawfully present” under federal immigration laws.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer issued an executive order last Aug. 15 instructing state agencies to deny public benefits and state-issued identification to DACA recipients on the grounds that they were not legally present in the state. At least five other states followed suit. The new DHS guidance supersedes state-level rulemaking.
“Governor Brewer’s executive order was callous pandering, and DHS is right to put social progress and our economy ahead of the tired politics of division,” Grijalva said. “The new guidelines confirm that young immigrant students brought to the country as children are authorized to be here. That debate is over. State lawmakers and agencies should immediately take note.
“This is not the first time Governor Brewer has been on the wrong side of a ruling. Arizona cannot continue to invent its own immigration policiesevery time she reads a poll. It’s cost this state too much. When the federal government, the business community and neighborhood activists agree on the need for a new approach, maybe it’s time for the governor to listen.”
According to a recent report from the Arizona Republic, “Brewer’s administration said it is too early to say how the governor will respond to the updated guidelines.”
As of this month, USCIS has received 407,899 requests for deferred action, including 14,069 by Arizonans. Of these, 394,533 have been accepted and 154,404 approved.These statistics and more are available from USCIS at http://1.usa.gov/140VByK.
