skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Biden administration moves to protect Alaska wilderness; opening statements and first witness in NY trial; SCOTUS hears Starbucks case, with implications for unions on the line; rural North Carolina town gets pathway to home ownership.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Supreme Court weighs cities ability to manage a growing homelessness crisis, anti-Israeli protests spread to college campuses nationwide, and more states consider legislation to ban firearms at voting sites and ballot drop boxes.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Wyoming needs more educators who can teach kids trade skills, a proposal to open 40-thousand acres of an Ohio forest to fracking has environmental advocates alarmed and rural communities lure bicyclists with state-of-the-art bike trail systems.

AZ Border Groups Say “Gang of Eight” Bill Promising

play audio
Play

Friday, April 19, 2013   

PHOENIX – Immigrant rights advocates in Arizona say there's a lot to like about the so-called Gang of Eight immigration reform proposal, but also several areas for concern.

Tucson immigration attorney Mo Goldman calls the measure "a breath of fresh air" after years of frustration over the lack of action by Congress.

Goldman likes the bill's DREAM Act and legalization components, along with the possibility of a guest worker program. But he's concerned about the impact of billions of dollars earmarked for security along Arizona's southern border.

"The Tucson sector is essentially ground zero for their border security proposal,” he says. “And so obviously, there's some concern about the increased militarization on the border."

However, Goldman acknowledges that the reform measure isn't likely to get far in the U.S. House of Representatives without a border security component as well as a national mandate for employers to use the E-Verify system to check applicants.

The bill provides for a 10-year period of provisional resident status, followed by a green card for three years and eventually an opportunity for naturalization.

Mike Wilson, policy director of Border Action Network, calls the pathway to citizenship the "crown jewel" of the plan, allowing 11 million undocumented residents to come out of the shadows.

"To come out of the shadows of living in fear and living in a state of hopelessness, not knowing if they can be deported at any time,” he says. “So, it provides legal protection for those people."

Young adult immigrant Josue Saldivar says the lack of immigration reform has meant struggles for his family in Arizona, from a lack of drivers’ licenses to paying out-of-state tuition.

He says he’s glad the nation is finally having the discussions he hopes will bring his family relief. But he says the proposed bill has fairness problems in how it treats different members of the same family.

"As a DREAMer myself, I know that I will be able to get citizenship within five years,” he says. “But we talk about having a fair and just immigration system, and my parents will have to wait for 13 years."

The first Senate hearing on the bill is scheduled for today.





get more stories like this via email

more stories
Several Mississippi correctional facilities offer both short-term (12 weeks) and long-term (six months) alcohol and drug programs with individual and group counseling for treating alcohol and drug addictions. (Wesley JvR/peopleimages.com)

Social Issues

play sound

Mississippi prisons often lack resources to treat people who are incarcerated with substance-use disorders adequately but a nonprofit organization is …


Social Issues

play sound

April is Second Chance Month and many Nebraskans are celebrating passage of a bipartisan voting rights restoration bill and its focus on second chance…

Health and Wellness

play sound

New Mexico saw record enrollment numbers for the Affordable Care Act this year and is now setting its sights on lowering out-of-pocket costs - those n…


According to Zillow, the typical value of homes in North Carolina is about $329,225. North Carolina home values have gone up 4.6% over the past year. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Residents in a rural North Carolina town grappling with economic challenges are getting a pathway to homeownership. In Enfield, the average annual …

Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin lawmakers recently debated reforms for payday loans. Efforts to protect consumers come amid new research about financial pain associated …

Independent and unaffiliated candidates must collect up to six times the number of signatures compared with partisan candidates, according to Make Elections Fair Arizona. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A new poll finds a near 20-year low in the number of voters who say they have a high interest in the 2024 election, with a majority saying they hold …

Social Issues

play sound

A case before the U.S. Supreme Court could have implications for the country's growing labor movement. Justices will hear oral arguments in Starbucks …

Health and Wellness

play sound

New York's medical aid-in-dying bill is gaining further support. The Medical Society of the State of New York is supporting the bill. New York's bill …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021