I want to let you know that Top Picks will move to Fridays for the duration of the immigration reform debate. That’s just to free up space on Mondays, when there are already frequently several posts, including the legislative update by our panel of experts.
So—this Memorial Day we’ll have much to celebrate. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the immigration reform bill S.744 this past Tuesday with a 13-5 vote; now it’s up to the whole Senate. While there’s still a long journey ahead, there’s a lot to be proud of in what has been achieved thus far. In this week’s Top Picks, I would especially like to lift up Jim Wallis’s piece on the triumph of immigration reform in the committee, and Pili Tobar’s commentary on what to expect next.
- Jim Wallis of Sojourners, in his piece “Nothing Happens in Washington—Except for This,” reflects on how important and unprecedented it is that, during these hyper-partisan times, a bipartisan immigration reform bill has made it through the Judiciary committee on a 13-5 vote with a wide range of supporters.
- Deborah J. Notkin of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, in her piece, “Immigration Reform and Making a Workable H-1B Program,” calls for immigration reform that upholds the talents of H1-B visa holders as well as other immigrants.
- In her latest piece for America’s Voice, Pili Tobar lifts up the voices of a wide variety of immigration reform advocates as they look to the future and call for a redoubled effort to pass fair and humane reform.
- Amanda Peterson Beadle, in her post “Senate Judiciary Committee Reaches Agreement on Immigration Reform Bill,” presents a detailed analysis of the mark-up process, calling it a promising start to the legislative process.
Please email me or comment if you have any thoughts about this week’s Top Picks. Thank you for taking the time to visit our blog, and I look forward to bringing you the best online commentary on immigration and refugee issues every Monday here on Redefining Welcome.