10. Dayton, Ohio, Reaches Out to Immigrants
Dayton hopes immigrants can help improve a struggling economy. Chris Hondros/Getty Images
Oct. 5: City commissioners in Dayton, Ohio, give unanimous approval to an “immigrant-friendly plan.” The idea is to let immigrants know they are welcome in the city with a shrinking population and sagging economy.
“The Welcome Dayton plan leaves federal immigration law enforcement to the feds,” said Mayor Gary Leitzell, “and instead focuses on making our community one that treats all people kindly, fairly and humanely.”
9. House Approves Visas for High-Skilled Workers
Dec. 5: The U.S. House votes 389-15 to allow the creation of more visas for high-skilled immigrant workers.
The Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act would take away country-specific caps and allow more scientists and technicians to enter the country, many of them likely from India and China. The bill goes to the Senate, where it has solid bipartisan support.
8. U.S. Military Members in Iraq, Afghanistan Become Citizens
Official USMC photo.
July 4: United States Citizenship and Immigration Services commemorates America’s 235th birthday by welcoming more than 24,000 new citizens during week long naturalization ceremonies.
Among them were 200 military members who took the Oath of Allegiance aboard the USS Midway in San Diego. There were also all-military ceremonies held overseas in Baghdad, Kabul and Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. Since 9/11, about 75,000 foreigners in the military have become American citizens.
7. Obama Administration Overhauls Deportation Policy
President Obama changed the government's deportation targets. Photo: Getty Images
Aug. 24: The Obama administration announces it is reviewing the cases of some 300,000 undocumented immigrants currently in deportation hearings to sort out “low priority” offenders.
The idea is to concentrate on people with serious criminal records who are in the country illegally and not expend government resources on law-abiding nannies and landscapers. Latino groups, noting that most of the low-priority cases involved Hispanics, and immigrant advocates hailed the move as long overdue.
The move was a major change in response to criticism of the government’s Secure Communities initiative.
6. Alabama Enacts Toughest Immigration Law in U.S.
June 9: Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley signs the nation’s toughest immigration law.
It requires public schools to inquire about students' immigration status and makes it a crime to knowingly give an undocumented immigrant a ride.
5. Alabama Officials Say They Must Change Immigration Law
Dec. 9: Oops! Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley concedes that the state’s law overreaches and has unintended consequences. Bentley says he will work with the state legislature to rewrite the law that has been called “Arizona SB 1070 on Steroids.”
The exodus of immigrants from the state has left farmers and contractors without the labor they need. Legal challenges and public complaints were rampant.
There was also embarrassment. Foreign workers at the state’s Mercedes-Benz and Honda plants were detained under the law.
4. Gingrich Breaks From GOP Pack on Limited Amnesty
Nov. 22: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says during a Republican presidential debate that the country needs to look beyond deportation to deal with the 11 million undocumented residents living here.
Gingrich says those immigrants that have lived in the United States for decades should have a chance at some type of legal status. The concession was a major depature from the prevailing Republican position that the goverment should send all undocumented residents back to their homelands.
3. Justice Department Assails Arizona Sheriff Arpaio
Dec. 15: In a scathing report, the U.S. Justice Department condemns the behavior of Joe Arpaio, the Maricopa County Arizona sheriff who has built a national reputation for his get-tough policy against undocumented immigrants.
Justice Department investigators found that Arpaio's tactics violated "the Constitution and federal law" and promoted racial profiling and civil rights violations.
2. Arrests on U.S.-Mexico Border Hit 40-Year Low
Photo courtesy USCIS.
Sept. 30: The number of illegal immigrants arrested along the U.S.-Mexico border falls to its lowest level since the 1970s.
U.S. authorities arrested 328,000 migrants along the border, down 24% from the previous fiscal year and the lowest level since 1972. Officials say stronger security, a falling Mexican birthrate and the lagging U.S. economy kept migrants from leaving their homes.
The government actually deported more people (396,906) than it arrested at the border, the first time that’s happened since the 1970s, too.
1. U.S. Supreme Court To Rule on Arizona Law
Dec. 12: The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether Arizona’s controversial immigration law is constitutional.
The court is expected to take up the case in April and have a decision by June. The ruling is likely to have a broad impact on states that have written their own immigration laws or are considering doing so.
Arizona SB 1070 gives police powers to detain people suspected of being in the country illegally and imposes other restrictions that are intended to drive undocumented residents out of the state. The Obama administration and immigrant advocates say the law claims powers that belong only to the federal government.
