H-1B increase still on the table

Date: Monday, March 03, 2008 8:17 PM

<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 1828 -- 3/03/2008 >>>>>

Last week I sent out a newsletter warning that a deal is being worked out on
Capitol Hill to pass a large H-1B increase. Since then, things have been
silent in the media but that doesn't change the fact that there is still a
substantial effort to pass through an increase. Unfortunately there is only
circumstantial evidence that a deal is being negotiated but I thought I would
share with you what I know so far.

* Bill Gates is going back to Washington DC next week to lobby for an
increase. If there wasn't a deal before, there will be when Gates throws his
money around. His timing can't be coincidence -- right after the big primary
and just about when Congress critters go groveling for campaign money for the
next election.

* I have communicated with Roy Beck at NumbersUSA and he assured me that the
threat of an H-1B increase is very, very real.

* Compete America sent a letter to Congress urging them to "consider a package
of urgent reforms". Compete America is leaving it to the public to guess
what's in the care package but one thing for sure is that it will have a
demand for an increase in the H-1B cap.

* Today U.S. Representative Joe Baca (D-CA) sent legislation to the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. Like Compete America, he said he
isn't going to allow us to see what's proposed but he gave a few cutesy
riddles like for instance: "It will involve visas, but it won't be a path
towards amnesty, it will not be amnesty." Baca had a rather exclusive attitude
about sharing the documents -- he said if you aren't in the Hispanic Caucus
you can't see them!

* Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and other House Democratic leaders want
to poison the enforcement only SAVE ACT by attaching an amnesty amendment to
it. There are other things besides amnesty but she won't say what. Do you see
a pattern of secrecy developing here?

* There will soon be a mad scramble to secure H-1B visas. They will run out of
visas very quickly, and employers are screaming bloody murder about it.
They want more visas and they are letting that be known very forcefully.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.competeamerica.org/hill/letter_congress/index.html

In summary, we are very concerned about the potential for Congress to consider
an enforcement-only immigration bill and instead urge the House to consider a
package of urgent reforms that will help the U.S. remain the world leader in
innovation and serve our economic, national security and other core national
interests.
Sincerely,

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://radio.woai.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=119078&article=3347863

New Immigration Reform Proposal Being Prepared

Would make illegal immigrants legal residents, supporters say it is 'not
amnesty'
By Jim Forsyth
Friday, February 29, 2008

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus says it is prepared to introduce a new

immigration reform bill later this year which will confront Congress with the
tricky issue of legal residency for 12 million undocumented workers in the
middle of an election season, 1200 WOAI news reports.

U.S. Representative Joe Baca (D-California), the First Vice President of the

CHC, revealed the measure today as he attended a meeting of the Congressional
Hispanic Caucus Institute in San Antonio.

'We will be coming out specifically with the legislature later on," Baca

said. "It will not be comprehensive in nature, but it would include the 12 t0
14 million people who are here in the United States, it will address those
individuals working in agriculture, and it will address the DREAM Act," Baca
said.

"It will involve visas, but it won't be a path towards amnesty, it will not

be amnesty, it will not be an opportunity, but they will have to be required
to be in the United States, have been working, prove they've been working in
the United States."

Baca declined to reveal any more information, saying he 'wasn t ready'

to provide the details of the bill and 'didn't want to be pushed' by
reporters.

The DREAM Act, is a very controversial measure which was defeated in the

U.S. Senate last summer, which would provide educational benefits to the
children of illegal immigrants. U.S. Representative Charles Gonzalez (D-
Texas), a member of the Caucus, says that will be a key part of any measure
that is floated.

"We do have children of the undocumented workers, do we not educate them?"

Gonzalez asked. "They're not going anywhere, I'll tell you that right now."

The Caucus members declined to say when the new immigration reform measure
might be introduced.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=68647

Pro-illegal immigration Dems undermining SAVE Act, says bill sponsor Jim Brown
- OneNewsNow - 2/29/2008 9:00:00 AM

House Democratic leaders are working to derail a bipartisan bill that would
beef up border security, crack down on illegal aliens and employers who hire
them, and reject amnesty.

Representatives Brian Bilbray (R-California) and Heath Shuler (D-North
Carolina) are seeking an up-or-down vote on their bipartisan Secure America
through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act, which has 47 Democrat and
89 Republican co-sponsors. They need the need the signatures of 218 House
members on a discharge petition for the vote to occur. The Washington Times
reports that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and other House Democratic
leaders want to poison the bill by attaching an amnesty amendment to it.

Bilbray points out the amendment proposed by Representative Joe Baca
(D-California) would give illegal aliens a visa for five years so that during
that time period Congress could work on passing legislation that would grant
citizenship, voting rights, and welfare benefits to the illegal alien
population.

"We're talking about 20 million people who've broken the law being rewarded
for their illegal activity," he says, "but more importantly, Washington
officially announcing to the world that we will reward those who come to our
country illegally."

Bilbray believes the amnesty agenda in Congress is designed to enlarge the
Democratic electorate. "You've got Ms. Pelosi and the traditional Democrat
groups basically wanting to see this population of 20 million illegals voting
for Democrats," he states. "They want to give them residency, citizenship, and
register them to vote so they can use this illegal population as a political
bloc that's behooving to them because they're the one who empowered them with
the votes."

Bilbray's last election opponent, Democrat Francine Busby, was caught on tape
promising illegal aliens she would give them welfare, healthcare, and
retirement benefits, and that they did not need papers to vote or work on her
campaign.

The SAVE Act is currently languishing in the House Judiciary Committee.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.fcw.com/online/news/151823-1.html

Companies rally for more IT work visas
By Alice Lipowicz
Published on March 3, 2008

With the April 1 H-1b visa application deadline approaching, Congress is
under pressure from information technology companies to authorize a larger
number of visas to meet demand.

The Compete America coalition, which includes many IT companies such as
Boeing, Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft, asked lawmakers to raise the 65,000
annual cap on H-1b visas for highly skilled foreign workers.

Many of the H-1b visas are granted to IT workers. Industry executives say
increasing the number of available visas would stimulate the economy and
improve competitiveness. On the other hand, many IT workers in the United
States oppose H-1b visa expansion because they are worried about depressed
wages.

The deadline for employers to apply for an H-1b visa on behalf of a foreign
worker is April 1. In recent years, demand has exceeded supply.

"In just a few short weeks, the U.S. government will begin to accept
applications for H-1B visas for Fiscal Year 2009. As was the case last
year, not only is the annual supply of H-1B visas virtually assured to be
exhausted on the very first day applications are accepted, half of those
applying will lose out in the visa lottery, denying U.S. employers access
to tens of thousands of highly skilled and badly needed professionals who
could contribute to economic growth and job creation in this country,"
Robert Hoffman, chairman of Compete America, said in a news release.

"Today s arbitrary and unrealistic limits on H-1B visas and
employment-based green cards sends the message that America s doors are
closed and that these highly-skilled individuals, many of whom have been
educated in U.S. universities, should look for opportunity elsewhere,"
Hoffman wrote.

Hoffman urged the congressional leaders to consider broad immigration
reforms, including H-1b visa expansion, rather than focusing on
enforcement-only immigration legislation.

Alice Lipowicz writes for Washington Technology, an 1105 Government
Information Group publication.

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