AAI Press Release: Immigration Briefing

For Immediate Release: PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday, January 10, 2007 Contact: Myron Quon
myron@aaichicago.org

MEDIA BRIEFING:
ASIAN AMERICAN LEADERS TO DISCUSS OUTLOOK ON COMPREHENSIVE
IMMIGRATION REFORM FOR THE 110TH CONGRESS AND
NEW NATURALIZATION PILOT EXAM

WHAT: On the record briefing with Q&A
WHEN: Tuesday, February 6, 2007 at 11:00 a.m.
WHERE: Bridgeview Bank Building, 4753 N. Broadway, Chicago IL 60640
First Floor Conference Room
WHO:

• Tuyet Le, Executive Director, Asian American Institute
• Asian American leaders working on immigration issues

Background: The newly elected 110th Congress will have an opportunity to respond to American voters and enact comprehensive immigration reform in 2007. The House of Representatives passed the anti-immigrant H.R. 4437 in 2005 and the Senate passed a more comprehensive but deeply flawed S. 2611 last year, but neither bill became law. After voters replaced some of the strongest anti-immigrant voices in Congress with lawmakers who are more open to a comprehensive measure, the new Congress has a mandate to finally fix America’s broken immigration system.

As lawmakers and the White House work on providing solutions to U.S. immigration problems, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin pilot testing a new naturalization exam in 2007. USCIS recently released 144 questions and answers for the pilot test, which will be administered to some 5,000 volunteer citizenship applicants in 10 cities. USCIS will implement the new test in 2008 with a final list of 100 questions. In addition to the new naturalization exam, USCIS also plans a massive increase in the application fees that it charges for naturalization and other immigration functions.

Speakers at this briefing will present a recap of the 109th Congress on immigration, provide a forecast for comprehensive immigration reform in 2007, discuss the impact of U.S. immigration policy on Asian Americans, and offer ways for Asian Americans to get involved in the national immigration debate.

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The Asian American Institute (www.aaichicago.org) is the region’s pan-Asian nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the Asian American and Pacific Islander community through advocacy, by utilizing coalition-building, education, and research.