I was at a recent convening of middle-class, well-educated liberals. This being a Washington, D.C., area group, it was predominantly white, with a spattering of African Americans, a couple of Latinos, and one Asian. Me. Now this is a pretty welcoming organization and they do try hard to promote diversity....

The Senate's "Gang of Eight" released details of its immigration reform legislation last week, so the Urban Institute updated its earlier infographic comparing the White House's immigration blueprint to the Senate bill.

The president and the senators are, for the most part, in sync....

The Senate "Gang of Eight" has finally released its much-awaited immigration legislation. The Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 is characterized by President Obama as a compromise bill that is largely consistent with his own principles for immigration reform.

The proposed law...

In the 1960s, my uncle settled down in Neshoba County, Mississippi, a very distant and vastly different place from our native Philippines, where he became the physician of Blacks, Choctaws, and the few Whites who came to trust the "Chinaman." As soon as he was able, he applied for visas...

The inclusion of gay couples in comprehensive immigration reform legislation has turned into a highly contentious issue. The reality, however, is that there are more lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) immigrants than the estimated 32,300 individuals married to American citizens or legal permanent residents.

The

Here's what the scaremongers think they know about sequestration and immigration: that hundreds of undocumented criminal aliens will be let loose and hundreds more will swarm through our unsecured borders, steal American jobs, and abuse our welfare system. Setting aside the facts that many being released from detention...

In a few days, sequestration hits unless Congress and the White House agree on an alternative to $85 billion in automatic spending cuts. Thousands of human service organizations would be affected, along with the communities, families, and individuals that depend heavily on nonprofit programs and services.

An Urban...

The president and Senate "gang of eight" introduced their proposals for comprehensive immigration reform this week. Both agree on key principles revolving around enforcement, employment, a path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants, and solutions for problems plaguing the system. Several differences remain, however, as shown in...

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators released a framework for comprehensive immigration reform Monday. The gang of eight, which includes Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY), John McCain (R-AZ), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Jeff Flake (R-AZ), rests their...

Last Tuesday, U.S. Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) along with five other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus met with White House officials who assured the contingent that the Obama Administration is moving forward with immigration reform.

"We talked about what the president wants and what his vision...

On January 2, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced a new rule which was welcomed by immigrant communities and their advocates. Some unauthorized immigrants who are in the process of obtaining visas for permanent residency can now expect shorter separation from American family members. It is

Sopuruchi "Victor" Chukwueke got a gift which he describes as the "best Christmas present ever." He is a step closer to fulfilling his dream of attending medical school, thanks to a private-relief bill introduced on his behalf by Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) last year which passed...

Legal Violence in the Lives of Immigrants is the title of a report released by the Center for American Progress last week. I found the term "legal violence" unsettling at first, because while our legal system can be unfair at times, I do have faith in it. It's...

A group of leaders that carry bibles, badges, and business plans gathered in the nation's capital last week. Forging a New Consensus, a group of conservative faith, law enforcement, and business leaders convened to "tell the administration and the Congress that there is a new consensus on immigrants...

In their desire to rehabilitate their anti-immigrant image, Republican lawmakers have been scrambling to put forth immigration bills far short of anything comprehensive as initially called for by House Speaker Boehner.

Earlier this week, Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) introduced their watered-down version of...

Republican leadership in Congress now appears to be on board with immigration reform, shocked into action by the potency of the Latino vote and awakened to a new political order that includes people of color. But will reform be truly comprehensive, offering a path to citizenship for some...

The debate last week between Vice President Joe Biden and Rep. Paul Ryan, like the first presidential debate, did not tackle immigration. A few folks, seeing the digits on their computer clocks near the 90 minute mark, tweeted out loud, "Will immigration, LGBTs, and women be mentioned at all?" Martha...

Last week, a letter from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano had some lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) and immigrant activists celebrating. Napolitano put into writing what had been verbally promised by DHS: gay binational couples are recognized like any other family and foreign-born spouses...

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are the nation's fastest growing racial group, growing by as much as 46 percent during the first decade of this century. According to Karthick Ramakrishnan, Director of the National Asian American Survey (NAAS), AAPIs are an important and growing political constituency. While...

Mike Huckabee posted this on his website Friday:

I talked earlier today personally with Dan Cathy, CEO of Chick Fil-A about the new reports that Chick Fil-A had capitulated to demands of the supporters of same sex marriage. This is not true. The company continues to focus on...