I reject Dale Dauphinais’ anti-refugee alarmism. If sometimes hard to quantify, the benefits the U.S. and Connecticut derive from accepting a moderate number of refugees exceed the costs.
Immigration
Posted inCT Viewpoints
How does Connecticut benefit from taking in refugees?
Consider, on the same day: I read that my U.S Senator, Richard Blumenthal, is proposing to expedite the processing of Middle East refugees into Connecticut; and, that our government, in fact, no one, has any ability to check the status of any of the mostly Muslim “refugee.”
Posted inPolitics
Connecticut’s Washington Week
Pope Francis’ visit to Washington, which included an address to the joint session of Congress, overshadowed everything this week — except perhaps House Speaker John Boehner’s subsequent resignation.
Posted inPolitics
‘Pope of the people,’ citing history, urges Congress to act
WASHINGTON – Pope Francis sent a message of personal and social responsibility to a joint session of Congress and the nation Thursday, but also gently pressed lawmakers to end their partisan bickering and legislative dysfunction.
Posted inPolitics
Liking his message, Malloy joins crowds in D.C. to welcome Pope Francis
WASHINGTON – The nation’s capital is living up to its reputation as a city of contradictions as it cheers Pope Francis’s gently accented words of hope and reconciliation amid a backdrop of a looming crisis – the increasingly likely shutdown of the federal government.
Posted inPolitics
DeLauro urges Pope to address social ills in speech to Congress
WASHINGTON — Rep. Rosa DeLauro has led an effort by congressional Democrats to urge Pope Francis to bring his social teachings to Congress when the pontiff makes his historic speech there on Sept. 24.
Posted inPolitics
Republicans in Congress target state, local immigration policies
WASHINGTON – Local and state immigration policies, including Connecticut’s, are under scrutiny by congressional Republicans as a reaction to the July 1 killing of Kathryn Steinle in San Francisco by an undocumented immigrant with an extensive criminal record.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Connecticut two steps closer to educational equity
On May 19, the Connecticut legislature took two important strides in an attempt to achieve educational equity. On that day the Senate passed bill SB 398 and the House passed HB 6844. If these bills pass and are signed by Gov. Dannel Malloy, it would continue to pave the pathway toward educational equity of two disenfranchised groups in Connecticut—undocumented and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) students.
Posted inEducation
Legislators advance in-state tuition, financial aid for undocumented students
The state House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to expand the number of undocumented immigrants who qualify for much lower in-state tuition rates at Connecticut public colleges. Meanwhile, another bill that would make these students eligible to compete for a $140 million pool of financial aid was approved by the state Senate.
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal wants foreign worker visas boosted — and program reformed
WASHINGTON — Sen. Richard Blumenthal wants to expand a program that allows U.S. companies to hire workers with specialized skills, but after allegations of abuses the senator also wants the program investigated.
Posted inEducation
GOP lawmakers: Open $100 million financial aid pot to undocumented students
Most Republican legislators on the Higher Education Committee voted Tuesday in favor of opening a $100 million pot of college financial aid to undocumented immigrants. The vote may signal a change of heart among legislative Republicans about providing financial help to undocumented students.
Posted inPolitics
House approves Homeland Security funding
WASHINGTON – An impasse over funding of the Department of Homeland Security that threatened the paychecks of nearly 1,500 agency employees in Connecticut ended Tuesday as the House approved a bill that does not include riders to block President Obama’s immigration policies.
Posted inPolitics
In CT, 1,500 Homeland Security employees spared shutdown, for now
WASHINGTON – With a last-minute vote, Congress averted a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, extending its funding by seven days and at least temporarily sparing 1,500 agency employees in Connecticut their paychecks.
Posted inPolitics
Texas Court delays, but doesn’t end, hopes for CT immigrant youths
WASHINGTON – Katia and Kiara Ruesta, 18-year-old twin sisters who live in Vernon and are undocumented, were on the verge of applying for provisional legal status before the ruling of a Texas judge put their hopes on hold. “I was kind of shocked; it was a huge surprise,” said Katia Ruesta, a student at Manchester Community College.
Posted inPolitics
Homeland Security: Assessing the impact of a shutdown in CT
What would be the impact in Connecticut of a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security? The risks depend on who you ask. But among the certainties are that TSA workers at Connecticut airports and most staff at the Coast Guard Academy in New London would be working without pay.