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Modernizing and Streamlining the U.S. Immigrant Visa System for the 21st Century
The White House ^ | November 21, 2014 | Barack Hussein Obama

Posted on 11/21/2014 3:20:02 PM PST by Oldeconomybuyer

MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES

SUBJECT: Modernizing and Streamlining the U.S. Immigrant Visa System for the 21st Century

Throughout our Nation's history, immigrants have helped the United States build the world's strongest economy. Immigrants represent the majority of our PhDs in math, computer science, and engineering, and over one quarter of all U.S.-based Nobel laureates over the past 50 years were foreign-born. Immigrants are also more than twice as likely as native-born Americans to start a business in the United States. They have started one of every four American small businesses and high-tech startups, and more than 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children.

But despite the overwhelming contributions of immigrants to our Nation's prosperity, our immigration system is broken and has not kept pace with changing times. To address this issue, my Administration has made commonsense immigration reform a priority, and has consistently urged the Congress to act to fix the broken system. Such action would not only continue our proud tradition of welcoming immigrants to this country, but also reduce Federal deficits, increase productivity, and raise wages for all Americans. Immigration reform is an economic, national security, and moral imperative.

Even as we continue to seek meaningful legislative reforms, my Administration has pursued administrative reforms to streamline and modernize the legal immigration system. We have worked to simplify an overly complex visa system, one that is confusing to travelers and immigrants, burdensome to businesses, and results in long wait times that negatively impact millions of families and workers. But we can and must do more to improve this system. Executive departments and agencies must continue to focus on streamlining and reforming the legal immigration system, while safeguarding the interest of American workers.

Therefore, by the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to modernize and streamline the U.S. immigration system, I hereby direct as follows:

Section 1. Recommendations to Improve the Immigration System. (a) Within 120 days of the date of this memorandum, the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security (Secretaries), in consultation with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Director of the National Economic Council, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, the Director of the Domestic Policy Council, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Attorney General, and the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, and Education, shall develop:

(i) in consultation with private and nonfederal public actors, including business people, labor leaders, universities, and other stakeholders, recommendations to streamline and improve the legal immigration system -- including immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing -- with a focus on reforms that reduce Government costs, improve services for applicants, reduce burdens on employers, and combat waste, fraud, and abuse in the system;

(ii) in consultation with stakeholders with relevant expertise in immigration law, recommendations to ensure that administrative policies, practices, and systems use all of the immigrant visa numbers that the Congress provides for and intends to be issued, consistent with demand; and

(iii) in consultation with technology experts inside and outside the Government, recommendations for modernizing the information technology infrastructure underlying the visa processing system, with a goal of reducing redundant systems, improving the experience of applicants, and enabling better public and congressional oversight of the system.

(b) In developing the recommendations as set forth in subsection (a) of this section, the Secretaries shall establish metrics for measuring progress in implementing the recommendations and in achieving service-level improvements, taking into account the Federal Government's responsibility to protect the integrity of U.S. borders and promote economic opportunity for all workers.

Sec. 2. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

(d) The Secretary of State is hereby authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

BARACK OBAMA


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: amnesty; border; illegalaliens; tyranny

1 posted on 11/21/2014 3:20:02 PM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Lying sack of dog squeeze. Moving on


2 posted on 11/21/2014 3:21:28 PM PST by skeeter
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Looks like Obama stole most of this from a Jeb Bush speech.


3 posted on 11/21/2014 3:22:18 PM PST by jimbo123
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To: jimbo123

Obama is teaching us history now? I don’t think so!


4 posted on 11/21/2014 3:25:32 PM PST by abclily
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To: skeeter

He is a feckless crapweasel.


5 posted on 11/21/2014 3:29:59 PM PST by shankbear (The tree of Liberty appears to be perishing because there are few patriots willing to refresh it.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

FUBO!

You made law here - it is current U.S. law that those here without a proper visa or residence card (i.e. ILLEGALS) are not allowed to work (so if they are working, they are violating the law twice, or multiple hundreds/thousands of counts, one for each day that they work). YOU just ordered your employees to give them work permits - THAT order is a violation of the Constitution, as it contravenes current U.S. law - the very same law that you swore an oath to faithfully execute.

Again, FUBO!


6 posted on 11/21/2014 3:35:11 PM PST by Ancesthntr ("The right to buy weapons is the right to be free." A. E. van Vogt)
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To: Ancesthntr

I don’t believe he made law. He is oppositional like a teenager. Say ‘no’ and he breaks a rule. He becomes lawless and looses the bounds of law for those of us who oppose him. We are no longer constrained.


7 posted on 11/21/2014 3:38:53 PM PST by combat_boots (The Lion of Judah cometh. Hallelujah. Gloria Patri, Filio et Spiritui Sancto!)
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To: shankbear
Yes.

I drives me nuts when RINOs go on about what a intelligent clean well intended man he is.

Its certainly not his brain that compels him, its his bitterness.

He's a miserable hateful man.

8 posted on 11/21/2014 3:50:07 PM PST by skeeter
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To: combat_boots
I don’t believe he made law. He is oppositional like a teenager. Say ‘no’ and he breaks a rule. He becomes lawless and looses the bounds of law for those of us who oppose him. We are no longer constrained.

He did make law. Ordering work permits to be granted to those here illegally IS new law, and is in direct opposition to ACTUAL law on the books.

I would, however, agree with you about the effect of his EO. Contempt for the law by those charged with enforcing it must, inevitably, greatly increase contempt for the law among the citizenry. Much like stupid laws (such as Prohibition) increased such contempt, so will this one...with similar results. We used to be a law-abiding nation; now we aren't because the laws are either stupid or incredibly biased toward those in power or those who put the powerful in office via contributions. The average person cannot and will not stomach that. Woe unto those in power who count on the proles to abide by thier edicts.

9 posted on 11/21/2014 4:07:10 PM PST by Ancesthntr ("The right to buy weapons is the right to be free." A. E. van Vogt)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Not one thing about US Citizens in this order. Apparently every single illegal invading from Guatamala and Mexico is a PdD and will become a billionaire employing millions of unemployed US citizens if only they got a green card.

I hate Obama. What he is doing with this nation is unforgivable.


10 posted on 11/21/2014 4:14:09 PM PST by Organic Panic
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

They start more businesses because we give them the money and loans to.


11 posted on 11/21/2014 5:13:25 PM PST by HangingTuff
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To: HangingTuff

Some of it is due to high skilled immigration, some of it is due to lower risk - if they fail and owe money they have their old country to flee to.


12 posted on 11/21/2014 5:48:39 PM PST by posterchild (It takes a politician to declare a settled science.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

It is bad that Democrats think that an end-run around democracy is a good idea. It makes them irrelevant when it isn’t their guy in charge.

Democrats better hope the next Republican president doesn’t take up the precedent and ignore laws the Democrats pass, or everything from restrictive EPA regulations to insurance laws to union contracts could be ignored by a Republican regime.


13 posted on 11/21/2014 6:05:02 PM PST by tbw2
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To: Ancesthntr

It is the beginning of lawlessness and capricious law, at the whim of a dictator, if not slapped down hard. It also hurts the economy, since you can’t plan well for business ventures and investments when the law depends on the whims of the dictator.

In “Economic Facts and Fallacies” by Sowell, there is a direct correlation between rule of law and property rights and economic prosperity. If you can lose your home or business at any time, you don’t invest as much if anything. That hurts the economy long term.

If there is little rule of law, you can’t plan for the long term except hoard money to be prepared to pay bribes or take basic steps. This hinders development in Africa, Central and South America today. People in authority may get richer, but corruption becomes an extra tax on the poor and middle class to everyone’s detriment.


14 posted on 11/21/2014 6:08:24 PM PST by tbw2
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