Immigration reform

Immigration reform is a term used in political discussion regarding changes to current immigration policy of a country. In its strict definition, "reform " means to change into an improved form or condition, by amending or removing faults or abuses. In the political sense, immigration reform may include promoted, expanded, or open immigration, as well as reduced or eliminated immigration.
Immigration reform in the United States:
This term is also widely used to describe proposals to increase legal immigration while decreasing illegal immigration, such as the guest worker proposal supported by George W. Bush. Illegal immigration is a controversial issue in the United States. Proponents of greater immigration enforcement argue that illegal immigrants cost taxpayers an estimated $338.3 billion dollars and jeopardize the safety of law enforcement officials and citizens, especially along the Mexican border.Former Mexican president, Vicente Fox, writes that in 2001, President George W. Bush, and the leadership of both parties of Congress were about to pass significant immigration reform legislation benefiting Mexican emigration to the U.S., but then the terrorists attacked.
Immigration reform in the United Kingdom:
As of 2010, in the United Kingdom, there is some cross-party support for immigration reform, largely under the auspices of the Strangers into Citizens campaign. Although the Liberal Democrats are the only major party to fully support reform, some Labour MPs (including former leadership candidate John McDonald , the IPPR (a Labour-leaning think-tank) and Boris Johnson (the Conservative Mayor of London) also support a selective amnesty for illegal immigrants. Under the Liberal Democrat proposal, this would involve regularisation for illegal immigrants who have lived in the country for at least ten years and who do not have a criminal record.It is argued that bringing many of these (estimates varying widely from 300,000 to 800,000) individuals into the legal economy would allow police to concentrate resources on tackling people traffickers and criminals - and would raise billions in tax revenue - whereas deporting them would cost £4.7 billion and take 30 years. This issue is still a matter of political debate today in the United Kingdom.
Obama Clarifies Position On Immigration Reform Ahead Of 'National Day Of Action' Protests:
With a National Day of Action set for tomorrow to protest President Obama's decision to involve local police officers in immigration enforcement, Latina asked the President last week to clarify his position on immigration as part of a wide-ranging interview that will appear in the magazine’s November issue.We want to send the message that we have to enforce the law," said President Obama, who has been blasted by Latino groups for overseeing the deportation of a record number of undocumented immigrants during his time in office. But the President maintained that his Administration remains focused on "targeting criminals" when it comes to upholding immigration law. "We are emphasizing our limited resources on those cases where people really do need to get deported," he said, "as well as making sure we are securing our borders, all of which can help create the framework for us to have the kind of comprehensive immigration reform laws that I think are so important."When asked specifically about why he has not used his office to stop the deportation of DREAM Act-eligible students, the President responded, "Well, the truth of the matter is that we have exercised as much administrative discretion as we can."President Obama did restate that he is "a huge supporter" of passing the DREAM Act, noting that the students who would be impacted “are going about their business and doing the right thing, and in many cases haven’t done anything wrong—other than the fact that their parents brought them here without legal documentation.”
The President emphasized that he is "going to keep pushing to get the DREAM Act passed," explaining that "these kids are extraordinarily talented and want to contribute to helping to build America. [They shouldn't be] under a cloud as they are going to school, serving in the military or starting a business."