immigration

A risk including gay partners in immigration bill?

The Associated Press — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:35:56 +0000

Frustrated at being left out of an immigration overhaul, gay rights groups are pushing to adjust a bipartisan Senate bill to include gay couples. But Democrats are treading carefully, wary of adding another divisive issue that could lose Republican support and jeopardize the entire bill.

Both parties want the bill to succeed. Merely getting to agreement on the basic framework for the immigration overhaul, which would create a long and costly path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million people in the U.S. illegally, was no small feat for senators. And getting it through a divided Congress is still far from a done deal.

Legal victory for asylum seekers

Paula Wissel — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:57:42 +0000

The settlement of a class-action lawsuit, filed on behalf of asylum seekers, should make it easier for people to work in the U.S. while for their asylum petition to be acted on.

The problem has been with something called the “asylum clock.” The clock is actually a complicated formula the Department of Homeland Security and other government agencies use to decide when someone is allowed to legally begin working in the United States. Theoretically, it’s supposed to be around six months. But, according to the court case, it stretches into years.

Statewide bus tour demands immigration reform

Bellamy Pailthorp — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:01:00 +0000

Imagine living your life in a legal limbo, with fear of deportation looming and constant uncertainty about your future.

That’s the reality for many immigrants in Washington State. Several dozen of them are boarding a bus that will criss-cross the state this week to tell their stories and demand comprehensive immigration reform.

Microsoft proposes 'pay-to-play' immigration plan to grow workforce

Jake Ellison — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 21:13:40 +0000

With 6,000 high-tech jobs on the table, Microsoft said today it has a pay-to-play plan that would increase the number of H-1B visas to the U.S. by 20,000 and raise more than $500 million for education.

Microsoft urges immigration reform to fill high-skilled jobs

Ashley Gross — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Overall, job growth remains disappointingly slow – the unemployment rate remains stuck above 8 percent. In computer-related fields, though, jobs are going unfilled.

Unemployment in computer and math jobs is a measly 3.4 percent. Companies like Microsoft and Expedia say one remedy is immigration reform, and they’re hopeful Congress will pass a new act to break the logjam.

Weird questions you have to answer to become a U.S. citizen

Lindsay Lowe — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Have you ever been a “habitual drunkard?” What about a Communist? And exactly where were you between the dates of March 23, 1933 and May 8, 1945?

If you want to become a citizen of the United States, get ready to answer these questions---and about a hundred more---on the U.S. citizenship application form, the N-400.

Northwest farmers, shop-keeps wait anxiously for cherry workers

Anna King — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 14:18:47 +0000

PASCO, Wash. – With lingering high unemployment and the endless talk of the down economy -– it’s hard to believe that there are some industries putting help-wanted signs out by the dozens. But that’s the case in Northwest orchard country where there appears to be a dwindling supply of migrant workers for cherry picking.

Pastorela shows life between two cultures in Yakima

Jessica Robinson — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000

There’s a Mexican Christmas tradition called a “pastorela.” And it’s getting a new twist in Yakima.

A pastorela is a play about the shepherds’ search for the baby Jesus. This weekend members of the community will perform a pastorela that draws on the real-life experiences of Latinos in the Northwest.

Radiation and climate change drive Marshall Islanders to Northwest enclave

Jessica Robinson — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 20:35:49 +0000

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kplu/local-kplu-960537.mp3

Most schools are used to working with children whose native language isn't English. In most of the Northwest and the nation, that means Spanish.

But in Spokane, immigrants from a remote set of South Pacific islands have sent schools scrambling to find translators for a language most of us have never heard of. It's called Marshallese. Turns out, people from the Marshall Islands are leaving their tropical home for the Northwest in large numbers.