Latest news with #ImmigrationBill
Globe and Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Globe and Mail
Ottawa retables ‘Lost Canadians' bill in bid to restore citizenship rights before court deadline
The federal government has reintroduced a bill to grant citizenship to 'Lost Canadians' – children born abroad to foreign-born Canadians – after an attempt by the Liberals to restore their right to hold a passport died before the election. The Liberals introduced a bill in the last Parliament to restore citizenship to 'Lost Canadians.' But it was one of more than 20 bills stopped in their tracks by the proroguing of Parliament ahead of the federal election. The Ontario Superior Court ruled in December 2023 that it is unconstitutional to deny citizenship to children born in another country to Canadians also born outside Canada. The last Liberal government did not appeal the ruling and the court granted the government a series of extensions – until November this year – to make changes to the law. On Thursday, Immigration Minister Lena Diab reintroduced the bill to make changes to the Citizenship Act. Bill C-3 requires Canadian parents born abroad to demonstrate a substantial connection to Canada before they can pass on citizenship to a child born outside Canada. They would need to have a cumulative 1,095 days – the equivalent of three years – spent in Canada before the birth or adoption of the child seeking citizenship. The bill is meant to reverse a change by Stephen Harper's Conservative government in 2009 that stripped children of a Canadian parent born outside Canada of their automatic right to citizenship. The 2009 change was designed to crack down on what Conservatives called 'Canadians of convenience.' It followed an outcry after Canada spent more than $80-million to evacuate 15,000 Canadian citizens from Lebanon in 2006 during the Israel-Hezbollah war. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has estimated that the bill could create around 115,000 new citizens in the next five years. Renée LeBlanc Proctor, spokesperson for the minister, said the restrictions to citizenship by descent to the first generation born abroad had led to 'unacceptable consequences for Canadians whose children were born outside the country.' She said legislation would 'ensure the remaining cohort of Lost Canadians are properly recognized as citizens.' Don Chapman, a long-time advocate for restoring citizenship to Lost Canadians, welcomed the early introduction of a bill in the new Parliament. 'People, including children, are being denied their constitutional right of citizenship,' he said. 'Canada is too good of a country to allow its own citizens to be ostracized.' Toronto lawyer Sujit Choudhry, who filed the successful constitutional challenge to the Citizenship Act on behalf of 'Lost Canadian' clients, said the new bill was identical to the last, which he said 'died on the order paper because the government did not make it a legislative priority. 'The government must use every tool at its disposal to ensure that the same fate does not befall Bill C-3, which must be passed and brought into force by November 20, 2025,' he said.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Red state leader calls for states to stand behind Trump's ban on funding illegal immigration
As Democrat states double down on resisting the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, Oklahoma Education Superintendent Ryan Walters is calling on states to stand behind the president and take a proactive role in implementing his executive orders. Walters, a Republican, believes that all state elected officials and agencies, including state education systems, have a role to play in implementing President Donald Trump's agenda. "You've got Democrat governors, you've got Democrat elected officials saying we're going to thwart this in any way we can," he said. "Where are the states that are moving at lightning speed to enact these agenda items?" Last week, he filed an inquiry to Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond to clarify how the Oklahoma public education system can implement Trump's executive order ending taxpayer funding for programs that incentivize illegal immigration. Dems Claim Trump Killed Immigration Bill, But His Success On The Border Proves He Had The Right Idea: Expert The order, titled "Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders," directs the heads of each federal executive department and agency to examine their agencies to "ensure, to the maximum extent permitted by law, that no taxpayer-funded benefits go to unqualified aliens." Read On The Fox News App The purpose of this, according to the order, is to "prevent taxpayer resources from acting as a magnet and fueling illegal immigration to the United States." Drummond responded on Monday by praising Trump and his order while asserting that it does not affect state agencies and that Walters' request is "nothing more than manufactured political drama." He also criticized Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt for what he called his "many failures in dealing with this critical issue here in Oklahoma." Trump Admin Promises To Be 'Ruthlessly Aggressive' In Response To Suspected Cartel Killing Of Us Citizen Stitt, in turn, responded to these criticisms by telling Fox News Digital, "Sadly, once again, we are just getting noise from people campaigning for their next political promotion." Stitt said that "being governor has been one of the greatest honors of my life" and he "will continue to do everything in my power to protect both Oklahomans and the innocent children in our communities." In response, Walters said he was "disappointed but not surprised by AG Drummond's response." "He has a responsibility to offer opinions on all laws, not just the ones he deems worthy," he said. "Once again, he is refusing to support President Trump's executive order on illegal immigration at a time when we all need to move forward with a unified front to protect Oklahoma families." In an interview with Fox News Digital, Walters asserted that though the order only pertains to federal tax dollars, it is also up to state education officials to make sure the funding they receive from the federal government complies with the order. "What we've seen here with this latest executive order is to not allow illegal immigrants to have access to federal funds. Well, in education, there's a lot of different federal funding streams that come into states," he explained. Dem And Gop Governors Urge Trump To 'Let The States Play A Role' In Immigration Decisions Walters said that under the Biden administration, the Oklahoma education system was flooded with illegal immigrant students, which he said caused "chaos" in the schools. He estimates Oklahoma spent a minimum of $474 million on illegal immigrant students, which he said took away resources and opportunities from students who are U.S. citizens. Since Trump retook the White House, Walters has been a vocal advocate for policies he believes will aid the administration in putting an end to the migrant crisis. Click Here For More Immigration Coverage In late January, he announced that Oklahoma public schools would begin tracking students' immigration status and share that information with federal authorities. However, Stitt has opposed this policy, and it is currently under consideration by the state legislature. Walters continued, "We are applying President Trump's executive orders in every way possible, and that means, yes, you've got to know how many illegal immigrants are in your school system, how does this apply to formulas funding streams, how does this apply to grant funding streams, so that you're able to ensure that those executive orders are being followed through on." Trump Reports Illegal Immigrant Encounters At Historic Lows During First Full Month In Office Ultimately, Walters believes "education systems across the country" should be following suit and moving quickly to similarly implement Trump's orders. "Here's the reality that's facing states right now," he said. "Are you going to align with President Trump's illegal immigration agenda, which means you are going to ensure that illegal immigrants are being accounted for and that you are ensuring that every executive order from President Trump is being carried out for illegal immigration, or are you going to support President Biden's illegal immigration view, which is don't ask, don't even acknowledge it?" "There couldn't be a [more] clear mandate from this last election," he went on. "Every state has a decision to make, and they should all be aligning with President Trump."Original article source: Red state leader calls for states to stand behind Trump's ban on funding illegal immigration
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kristi Noem Asks IRS Agents To Help With Trump's Immigration Crackdown
A newly publicized memo from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem asks the IRS to deploy its agents to help with the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. The memo, first obtained by The Wall Street Journal on Monday, is dated Feb. 7 and asks Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for use of some of the IRS's roughly 2,000 law enforcement officers trained to investigate tax violations and other financial crimes. 'It is D.H.S.'s understanding that the Department of the Treasury has qualified law enforcement personnel available to assist with immigration enforcement, especially in light of recent increases to the Internal Revenue Service's work force and budget,' Noem's memo says. The request says IRS agents would help with various immigration crackdown efforts, including the investigation of employers who may have hired undocumented workers and the physical detainment and removal of migrants from the U.S. Deputizing IRS agents for deportations would likely limit the agency's ability to focus on financial crimes ― something former President Joe Biden's administration worked to support with more funding. Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump, whose Trump Organization was found guilty of tax fraud and other crimes in 2022 by a New York jury, boasted that he 'immediately halted the hiring of any new IRS agents' and floated the idea Noem pitches in her memo. 'We're in the process of developing a plan to either terminate all of them or maybe we'll move them to the border. I think we're going to move them to the border,' Trump said at a Nevada rally in January. The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Noem's memo. The homeland security secretary notes in her memo that DHS has already partnered with the Justice Department, the Texas National Guard and the Texas Attorney General's office to carry out Trump's immigration clampdown, which involves widespread immigration raids. Though he spent much of his campaign talking about targeting 'criminal' undocumented people, Trump's deportations have not been narrowly focused on people with criminal records. Trump Isn't Actually Focusing On Deporting Criminals Immigration Bill Hands White House The Leverage On Detention Trump's New DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Uses ICE Raid As A Photo-Op
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kristi Noem Asks IRS Agents To Help With Trump's Immigration Crackdown
A newly publicized memo from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem asks the IRS to deploy its agents to help with the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. The memo, first obtained by The Wall Street Journal on Monday, is dated Feb. 7 and asks Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for use of some of the IRS's roughly 2,000 law enforcement officers trained to investigate tax violations and other financial crimes. 'It is D.H.S.'s understanding that the Department of the Treasury has qualified law enforcement personnel available to assist with immigration enforcement, especially in light of recent increases to the Internal Revenue Service's work force and budget,' Noem's memo says. The request says IRS agents would help with various immigration crackdown efforts, including the investigation of employers who may have hired undocumented workers and the physical detainment and removal of migrants from the U.S. Deputizing IRS agents for deportations would likely limit the agency's ability to focus on financial crimes ― something former President Joe Biden's administration worked to support with more funding. Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump, whose Trump Organization was found guilty of tax fraud and other crimes in 2022 by a New York jury, boasted that he 'immediately halted the hiring of any new IRS agents' and floated the idea Noem pitches in her memo. 'We're in the process of developing a plan to either terminate all of them or maybe we'll move them to the border. I think we're going to move them to the border,' Trump said at a Nevada rally in January. The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Noem's memo. The homeland security secretary notes in her memo that DHS has already partnered with the Justice Department, the Texas National Guard and the Texas Attorney General's office to carry out Trump's immigration clampdown, which involves widespread immigration raids. Though he spent much of his campaign talking about targeting 'criminal' undocumented people, Trump's deportations have not been narrowly focused on people with criminal records. Trump Isn't Actually Focusing On Deporting Criminals Immigration Bill Hands White House The Leverage On Detention Trump's New DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Uses ICE Raid As A Photo-Op
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
U.S. Experiences A 'Day Without Immigrants' In Nationwide Strike
Businesses around the country went dark Monday and protesters took to the streets as part of a 'day without immigrants' strike to showcase the importance of their role in the U.S. economy. The campaign, largely organized over social media, comes as President Donald Trump deploys Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents around the country to round up undocumented immigrants, who economists say play avitalrole in the American economy, particularly in the agriculture, service and construction sectors. The effort, which called for immigrants to skip school and work and withhold spending Monday, was at play in cities large and small across the country, with pronounced demonstrations in immigrant-dense communities in California and Texas. Wendy Guardado, a Los Angeles activist who helped organize the strike, told the Los Angeles Times that she'd counted 250 businesses around the country that had closed in solidarity with the campaign. 'We recognize the invaluable contribution of our immigrant community. Without you, we would not be here,' Joan's on Third, a popular Los Angeles restaurant that's been open for 30 years, posted on social media. 'A day without immigrants is a day for us all to reflect and honor the strength of our community.' A construction developer in Dallas told WFAA, a local ABC News affiliate, that more than 100 of his workers didn't show up Monday in solidarity with the movement. But even before the planned protest, he said, workers were absent in fear of ICE raids. 'They're not showing up to work, they're afraid to leave the house… it slows down the project a lot,' Danny Le, a developer with F80 Construction, told the station. 'Their work is essential to our community and to our economy.' The strike mirrors a similar effort that took place about a month into Trump's first term in 2017. Demonstrators also took to the streets Monday, including crowds in Los Angeles, Tallahassee and Philadelphia. About 400 people assembled in California's Sonoma County, home to an $8 billion wine industry reliant on immigrant labor. The Houston Chronicle said thousands of people gathered in the city's Hermann Park on Sunday, a day before the planned strike. 'They came here with nothing and they gave us everything,' Cesar Espinosa, co-founder and executive director of Fiel, Texas' largest immigrant-led civil rights organization, said to protesters, the outlet reported. 'If we march next week, or next month or for the next four years, I need you here. We need you here.' Thousands also gathered in Los Angeles on Sunday and shut down the 101 Freeway. Immigration Bill Hands White House The Leverage On Detention Trump's Immigration Battle Could Cause U.S. Population To Shrink As Migrants Are Targeted Democrats Swing Further Right On Immigration After 2024 Election Losses
