1/8/2009: Interview with Immigration Attorney Ann Allott

"Our legal immigration system at this moment is broken," says immigration attorney Ann Allott. The visa numbers have remained virtually the same since 1952. There are not enough visas issued every year to meet the demand for people to legally come to the U.S. For example, of the 1 million visas issued every year, 250,000 are employment-based. However, let’s say an architect is issued a work visa, his wife and children are also issued visas from the work-based pool. One step toward a meaningful solution to the inadequacies of the present system, Ann believes, would be to have a Presidentially-appointed board to determine the visa numbers on a yearly basis.

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1/8/2009: Interview with U.S. Attorney Troy Eid

U.S. Attorney Troy Eid stresses the distinction of the types of people who are here in the U.S. illegally. Although they entered the U.S. illegally, the majority of the people working and living in the U.S. illegally are law-abiding. Given the economics of our country, people working here illegally will be here, like it or not. What we need to do from a security and law enforcement viewpoint is identify the people who are here. Identifying people should include a background check which will help ensure that criminals are kept out of the U.S.

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1/8/2009: Interview with Colorado Attorney General John Suthers

Colorado’s Attorney General John Suthers says that while the U.S. could and should do a better job with border security, our border will never be totally secure. One of the problems he identifies is that U.S. policy is not dealing with the economic reality of the demand for non-citizen workers. The number of work permits allowed currently is “wholly inadequate” which then creates the demand for illegal workers. From a law enforcement perspective, he stresses that ICE and other enforcement agencies need more resources; that Americans need to understand and approve the costs involved in improving border security; and that the public also needs to understand that not all local law enforcement officers have the authority to detain suspected illegal immigrants.

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1/7/2009: Interview with Professor and Author Peter H. Schuck

Professor Schuck describes the 5 key areas for effective immigration policy: enforcement, amnesty or a path for legal status, an effective guest worker program, revamping the green card system to address the need for workers, and the role of state and local governments in enforcing immigration policy.

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Colorado State of Mind: Immigration and Our Work Force

Since we announced our topic of immigration for our program beginning in January, we've drawn a good deal of attention from both the public and the media. Over the weekend, the Director of our program, Jim Griesemer, appeared on Colorado State of Mind on PBS. The show also hosted former Governor Dick Lamm, immigration attorney Amy DeVan, and the Director of HISMinistries, Rev. Stan Perea.

As host Cynthia Hessin explained, “the reform of U.S. immigration policy is still very high in the minds of many Americans, especially those employers who depend on imported labor, the activists who are alarmed at rising population numbers, and certainly with anyone who is concerned about whether current immigration law is being enforced.”

However, our policies and approaches toward the problem of immigration in the U.S. don’t have much coherence. The show’s guests all seemed to agree that there are several problems with immigration law as it stands.

In approaching the problem, though, “it seems to be a subject where everyone talks past everyone else,” said Jim. The multitude of competing opinions and viewpoints is part to blame for the lack of coherent immigration policy.

Cynthia asked Jim how next year’s Immigration Issues Panel plans to discuss the issue.

“[U]ltimately you can’t create any policy without some clarity in terms of what you’re trying to achieve. I think and hope that one of the things our panel will really focus on is “what are the goals?”…something has to be more important than something else, otherwise you end up with mutually exclusive outcomes. You have to decide what’s most important and I hope our panel will do that.”

Amy DeVan and Jim Griesemer

The Future of Immigration: Colorado and the Nation

On Friday, we officially announced our topic for next year: immigration. Without a doubt, immigration is one of the most difficult and challenging issues facing Colorado and the nation. Partly so because debate on the subject tends to spark passion without necessarily bringing to light the facts and reality surrounding this complex issue.

Watch the video of our announcement here

It is the goal of our program to find a pathway through this complicated issue. As an institution of higher learning, the University of Denver has a responsibility and an obligation, as Chancellor Coombe said, to address these types of key issues facing Colorado.

Our process includes assembling a non-partisan panel of accomplished and respected Colorado citizens who will discuss the issue based on the information they receive as a member of our panel. The result will be based on the consensus of this varied group, and our hope is that their findings and recommendations will provide a framework with which policy makers can address immigration.

Our program will bring in speakers who will present to the panel in meetings that will run from January to May. Our speakers include current and past state officials (Governor Ritter, Mayor Hickenlooper, Gov. Lamm, Gov. Owens), attorneys, law enforcement officials, advocates, hospital and school administrators, and business and labor representatives, among others. Our goal is to bring in speakers from all sides of the debate to present our panel with the facts on which to base their findings.

As Jim Griesemer, the Director of our program explained at the announcement, “The issue of immigration must be solved.” Our mission is to start with the problem rather than the solution.

Press Conference Announcing the 2009 Strategic Issues Program

Join us Friday, November 14, 2008 for our press conference announcing the 2009 Strategic Issues Program.

Where: West Foyer, Colorado State Capitol

When: 10:00am

Media and members of the public are encouraged to attend. Click here to RSVP.