In The Loop With: House Representative Hakeem Jeffries

It’s been an intense but productive adjustment to the House for the New York City congressman.

Remember ninth grade? You had to navigate an unfamiliar campus, find your locker, join a few clubs and make nice with the upperclassmen.

Well, that’s a reasonable facsimile of what the first month of 2013 was like for 42-year-old Hakeem Jeffries, a newly sworn in freshman member of the House of Representatives, representing New York City’s 8th Congressional District.

And he’s hardly wet behind the ears, having left the seat he occupied in the New York State Assembly after a six-year stint. He is one of the youngest members of the Congressional Black Caucus and envisions himself as part of a new generation of young, black leadership on Capitol Hill.

Jeffries describes settling in to Congress as an “intense” but gratifying experience. He’s been appointed to the House Budget and Judiciary committees, where he says he’s already dug in on the issues of job growth, immigration, gun violence and voting rights.

The last time we spoke to Jeffries, who is married with two children, he was in the middle of an exceptionally smooth race for the House seat. Today, we’ve got him on the record on several hot button issues before the Congress and his approach to his first term.

Loop 21: How are you adjusting to life in Congress? 
Hakeem Jeffries: It’s been intense, but it’s an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to serve the people of Brooklyn and Queens. I’m hopeful that [Democrats and Republicans] can put partisan politics aside and get back to [enacting] policies to benefit our constituents back home.

You used the word “intense.” How exactly has it been intense?
The volume of issues that we have to confront on any given day are significant -- both in terms of their importance and their often pressing nature. It would be robust enough to have to deal with the issue of comprehensive immigration reform and a pathway for citizenship. Immigration reform is a highly complex issue with many different parts that must be synchronized in order to get it right.

Who has been the most helpful to you on Capitol Hill? 
The chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus, Marcia Fudge, has been tremendous in helping new, freshman African American members of Congress transition. Long standing members of this institution, such as the Honorable Charles Rangel and John Conyers, have also been extremely helpful with their sage advice, guidance and wisdom.

[Could Immigration Reform Aid Nation's War on Poverty?]

You are one of the youngest members of the CBC. Do you see yourself as part of a new generation of national black leadership in Washington?
From a generational standpoint, it’s clear to all of the members of the freshman class that we stand on the shoulders of giants who are both currently in the institution and who have served in the Congress in years past. The CBC has a tremendous legacy of accomplishment and advocacy. I look forward to doing as much as I can to continue to advance the CBC's mission going forward.

African Americans Support Immigration Reform, Study Says

Are you in favor of a policy change?

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights revealed poll results which said African Americans are in favor of an immigration reform. 

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Photo Credit: Media Images International 

Intersections of Justice

The civil rights movement of today is almost always pluralistic.

It would be more than utopian to believe that the world will one day be fair and just for everyone. In reality, progress is not a place that we will arrive, but a continuous goal that we should have. We can all be better today than we were yesterday and even greater tomorrow than we are right now. But it requires that we have a vision and goal in mind.

That statement was from a piece that I wrote almost a year ago, called “Progress, One Step At a Time."  It was about that slow grinding movement toward the goal of creating a more just and equal society.  But so many times when talking about the civil rights movement of today and the desire for people to achieve justice, it’s almost talked about as if there are no intersections and the fights that we have are not almost always pluralistic.  As a black woman, there is always that intersectionality of being treated differently because of my gender and my race.  It’s something that can’t be separated because I am not one more than the other.

The Ills of Partisanship?

Over the past week, the plight of women in seemingly powerful positions was in the media as more attention was focused on Ann Curry’s ouster from NBC’s Today Show, how unhappy some of the staff at the New York Times are with Executive Editor Jill Abramson and the leadership style of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.  These women deal with issues that all women deal with on some level or another; that is, the perception of women with power and the high standard they must rise to in order to succeed in the business world.  The stories written about these women, most notably the one about Jill Abramson would not be news if they were about men.  

Dirty Politics: Susan Rice and How Washington Works

Is This Progress? Senators Agree On 13-Year Pathway To Citizenship

Undocumented, unauthorized immigrants could wait more than a decade for full rights

Ay dios mio! Advocates of immigration reform didn’t imagine that the bipartisan group of lawmakers would propose a 13-year wait for unauthorized migrants to gain citizenship. That’s expected in the bill crafted by a group of eight senators, four Democrats and four Republicans. The bill is scheduled for its first vote on Wednesday. The legislation also allows younger illegal immigrants, known as Dreamers, to become citizens after five years. The bill’s controversial 13-year wait is accompanied by a southwest border security program and policies that favor highly skilled immigrants for citizenship. Even with the unpleasant aspect of the bill, it’s the most ambitious effort in more than two and half decades to reshape the American immigration system. (New York Times)

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Progress: Senate Immigration Reform Bill Almost Ready For Vote

Legislations will include controversial earned pathway to U.S. citizenship

Good news for the 11 million plus undocumented immigrants who are waiting on Congress to act: Two senior senators working on a bill to overhaul the system said on Sunday that they expect to complete their work this week. Democratic Senator Charles Schumer of New York and Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona told CBS’s "Face the Nation" that a bipartisan “Group of Eight” senators has resolved all their major differences in a pending deal on immigration reform. The legislation is expected to include an earned pathway to U.S. citizenship for the an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants, a bolstered border security plan and an improved way for businesses to integrate high-skilled and low-skilled foreign workers into their workforce. Last month, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest labor union, reached an agreement on a guest-worker program, which cleared the way for the writing of the full Senate bill. There is a bipartisan group in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives working on its own version of immigration reform. Let’s see where it all stands at the end of the week. (Reuters)

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Progress: Americans Favor Undocumented Immigrants’ Path To Citizenship

Poll most U.S. residents want full rights for undocumented foreigners, with reservations

Taking a step ahead of the insanely “slow” Republicans on Capitol Hill, most Americans appear to favor giving millions of undocumented immigrants a path to earning their citizenship. According to a survey by the Public Religion Research Institute released on Thursday, 63 percent of Americans want to bring the foreigners out of the shadows, if they meet certain requirements. (Broken down by party, 71 percent of Democrats and 53 percent of Republicans support it, respectively.) That means there is high public support for Congress to take up immigration law reform. The Republican Party, however, seems hopelessly divided on how to achieve it – some of them suggest the only solution is a form of second-class citizenship for those who illegally immigrated to the U.S. The path to citizenship is the centerpiece of both a bipartisan plan in the Democrat-controlled Senate and President Barack Obama’s immigration reform proposals. Good luck with that, guys. (Reuters)

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White House Unveils Backup Immigration Reform Plan

Administration doesn’t trust bipartisan committee efforts to get it done

Is this an insult? President Barack Obama has his administration working on a backup immigration reform bill, just in case a bipartisan congressional committee working on a separate plan fails. News of that on Sunday must have made Republicans salty, as one key GOPer called the president’s plan “dead on arrival” on Capitol Hill. White House Chief of staff Denis McDonough tells the media that Obama hopes the congressional efforts will be sufficient, but wants a plan B. So, what in the policy has Republicans balking? A draft of the White House immigration proposal would allow illegal immigrants to become legal permanent resident after eight years. The plan would also provide more security funding at the borders and require businesses to check the immigration status of new hires within four years. Obama, in his State of the Union address, emphasized the importance of creating a pathway to citizenship for an estimated 11 million immigrants who are here illegally. Republicans have long been against that plan. (Reuters)

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Any Surprise That Adult Children Of Immigrants Are Successful?

New study finds the seed of foreign-born parents outperform general population

Get this! Americans born to immigrant parents have apparently discovered a secret to success that their parents have not. These individuals are doing better than the foreign born on important measures, most notably education, and are outperforming the population as a whole. Of the 36 million people en this group, 20 million of them have reached adulthood. They are less likely than the foreign born and the general population to live in poverty and their rates of homeownership are on par with the general adult population. As for educational attainment, 36 percent have a least a bachelor’s degree, compared with 29 percent of the foreign born and 31 percent of all adults. These finding were part of the Pew Research Center’s 310-page report, released Thursday. It’s considered the most detailed study of American immigrants’ children in the modern era. Read “A Portrait of the Adult Children of Immigrants.” (New York Times) 

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ICYMI: Obama Unveils Plans For Immigration Reform [VIDEO]

President warns that reaching a deal in Congress will be tough, despite bipartisan support

On Tuesday, before a very receptive crowd in Las Vegas, President Barack Obama unveiled his plans to reform the nation’s “broken immigration system.” Obama’s plan, similar to a plan announced by a bipartisan group of senators on Monday, includes a controversial amnesty-like policy that would create a path to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants. Watch Obama’s full remarks in the video player above.

[ALSO SEE: LOOP 21’S COVERAGE OF IMMIGRATION]

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Obama To Outline Immigration Reform Plans In Nevada Speech

Creating a pathway for illegal immigrants to become citizens remains main goal.

President Barack Obama is expected to outline his plans for immigration reform when he travels to Nevada Tuesday. He began his effort for reform by meeting with Latino members of Congress Friday, calling immigration his top legislative priority. Upon hearing that the White House would be making an announcement regarding immigration, a bipartisan group in the Senate rushed to finish a statement of principles on immigration. The group included Democrats Chuck Schumer of New York and Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Republicans Marco Rubio of Florida and John McCain of Arizona.

The November election showed the changing dynamics of the country, making Republicans realize how badly the loss of Latino voters hurt them. Finally, many Republicans are easing up on the divisive debate over immigration. However, a strong segment in the House still appears to be against anything that resembles amnesty for those entering the country illegally. In contrast, that is a central goal for any comprehensive immigration reform President Obama will support. He hasn’t decided whether the White House will draft an administration bill or support measures drafted by Congress. (LA TImes)

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Illegal Immigration Levels Drop After 10-Year Rise

New census data supports theory that economic downturn kept many away

Hispanics from Mexico and Latin America immigrated to the United States at lower levels than immigrants from Asia last year, according to new census data released Thursday. That hasn’t happened since 1910. Illegal Hispanic immigrants – 80 percent of all undocumented border crossers or expired visa holders – dropped to an estimated 11.1 million last year from a peak of 12 million in 2007. The decline supports the theory that economic downtown and joblessness in U.S. kept some from coming over. Demographers say immigration levels aren’t likely to approach mid-2000 peaks again because of stronger immigration enforcement. The new census data also presents a problem for Washington Republicans, who passed legislation in the House last week that extends citizenship to a limited number of foreign students with advanced degrees. That's far from the comprehensive measures that immigration reform advocates have pushed for. (Associated Press)

[ALSO READ: Dreams Deferred: Obama and the DREAM Act]

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The Achieve Act? GOP Senators Introduce Immigration Reform

Authors of legislation swear bill isn’t a response to abysmal Latino support

You’ve probably heard of the DREAM Act, a Democratic immigration reform bill that would give some young undocumented individuals a pathway to legal citizenship. Republicans are now hoping to lure Latino support for the “Achieve Act,” authored and sponsored by prominent GOP senators who have promised to play ball on immigration reform in the next legislative session. Their reforms would grant legal residency – not citizenship – to young people brought illegally to the U.S. by their parents, if they seek higher education or enlist in the military. Bill sponsors include Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and John Kyl (R-Ariz.). Leading immigration reform advocacy groups say the Republican proposal is an incomplete approach that would present few new opportunities for normalizing young undocumented adults. (Washington Post)

[ALSO READ: Why Immigration Reform Can Fight Poverty]

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Off the Record Obama Says GOP Has Alienated Latinos, Promises 'Grand Bargain'

The president promised to get both immigration reform and debt reduction done if given a second term

In a discussion that was initially off the record, President Obama laid out guarantees for a second term in office.

The president vowed to forge a "grand bargain" with Republicans that will reduce the nation's debt as well as passing comprehensive immigration reform if re-elected.

The presidential promises came from a talk Obama had with the editorial staff of the Des Moine Register, Iowa's largest paper. The Register has yet to endorse a candidate for president and the state's six electoral votes could prove to be very important.

[ALSO READ:Ann Coulter Calls President Obama Retard, Special Needs Community Upset]

The White House first insisted that all of Obama's remarks be off the record, but after Editor Rick Greene published a scathing editorial urging the administration to remove the embargo the president's camp relented.

"It will probably be messy. It won't be pleasant. But I am absolutely confident that we can get what is the equivalent of the grand bargain that essentially I've been offering to the Republicans for a very long time, which is $2.50 worth of cuts for every dollar in spending, and work to reduce the costs of our health care programs," Obama said.

He went on to say that a second Obama administration would embrace the Latino community that Gov. Mitt Romney has alienated.

[ALSO READ:GOP Candidates Court Latinos: 'Hola, Quiero Su Voto']

"

The second thing I'm confident we'll get done next year is immigration reform," Obama said. "And since this is off the record, I will just be very blunt. Should I win a second term, a big reason I will win a second term is because the Republican nominee and the Republican Party have so alienated the fastest-growing demographic group in the country, the Latino community."

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Numbers USA Airs African American Unemployment Ad

TV spot addresses the nation's high rate of black unemployment

Numbers USA, an anti-immigration advocacy group, this week released an political ad targeting African Americans and their high rate of unemployment. "I need a job," says a black man, seen with his wife and daughter in their home kitchen. "What I don't understand is why our leaders are going to admit another million immigrants next year when 3 million black Americans can't find work." The ad is running on television and highlights a long-thought xenophobic approach to joblessness and immigration reform. (NumbersUSA)

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North Carolina Sheriff Targeted and Called Latinos 'Taco Eaters,' Feds Say

State law enforcement officials allegedly made unjust arrests to maximize deportations

A two year investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice found that North Carolina Sheriff Terry S. Johnson and other law enforcement officials violated the constitutional rights of legal resident by illegally targeting, stopping, detaining and arresting Latinos without probable cause. Justice officials are alleging Johnson and his deputies openly referred to Latinos as “taco eaters” and routinely discriminated against Hispanics with the intent of maximizing the number of deportations. An 11-page DOJ report also alleges that Johnson obstructed the federal investigation in 2010 by withholding requested documents and falsifying records. No charges have been announced as a result of the findings. Johnson, a Republican, denied the allegations. “The Obama administration has decided to continue to wage war on local law enforcement,” he said. (Associated Press)

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