Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Immigration deal, a big favor for Alaska

If you search for the word �Alaska� in the original Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration reform bill, you�ll get no hits. But if you do the same search in the Hoeven-Corker amendment, which is essentially a new version of the immigration bill, you�ll find �Alaska� right there in black and white.

The reason is that the Gang of Eight has used the rewritten bill to pay a big favor to the state of Alaska and its two senators, Republican Lisa Murkowski and Democrat Mark Begich. Here�s how it works:

The bill creates a new federal entity called the Bureau of Immigration and Labor Market Research, which is described as �an independent statistical agency within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.� The head of the Bureau will be appointed by the president, with Senate confirmation. One of the things the Bureau will do is research and designate the occupations for which labor shortages exist, and therefore for which more low-wage guest workers will be allowed to enter the country.

The bill uses a system of categorizing jobs by skill level. A Zone 1 occupation, like a dishwasher or a waitress, requires no special preparation. A Zone 2 occupation, like a clerk, requires more preparation, usually including a high school degree. A Zone 3 occupation is more skilled. And so it goes through a Zone 5 occupation, like a doctor or a lawyer, that requires extensive preparation.

If a particular occupation in a particular area is designated a �shortage occupation,� then firms employing those workers will be allowed to bring in more low-wage guest workers from overseas. That is where Alaska comes in. The Hoeven-Corker amendment says the Commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration and Labor Market Research must �devise a methodology�to designate shortage occupations in zone 1 occupations, zone 2 occupations, and zone 3 occupations.� And then it adds, pretty much out of nowhere: �Such methodology must designate Alaskan seafood processing in zones 1, 2, and 3 as shortage occupations.� The next paragraph reiterates: �Alaskan seafood processing in zones 1, 2, and 3 must be designated as shortage occupations.�

No other state receives such special treatment. Just Alaska, in what appears to be a favor to a powerful fisheries industry looking for low-cost labor. Why did Alaska merit such special consideration? The bill doesn�t say. But Sen. Murkowski has been an early non-Gang supporter of the immigration reform effort, and Sen. Begich is an endangered Democrat up for re-election in 2014 who needs to show Alaska voters that he is delivering for them. The new and improved comprehensive immigration reform bill � which the Senate will vote on Monday � delivers for both lawmakers.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/in-new-immigration-deal-a-big-favor-for-alaska/article/2532272

Was JUST talking to a guy working in a local plant. He told me that no visas were issued, for the slime line jobs. Amazingly, they a full crew of US citizens, doing the jobs that supposidly no citizen wanted to do. He was amazed at the amount of retirees that showed up to work. And, I don't have to look at a bunch of Euro-Trash walking around my town all summer.

They do that just to stay in shape

The cannery out here trolls every third-world schitthole they can to recruit workers. Mostly the Phillipines, Mexico and more recently east African countries.........oh yeah and prisons.

I sent Baggage a note that said please vote for the immigration bill. Between that and Obama care that should get his ass booted out for sure

This may seem like no big deal right now, but that type of freedom for employers to bring non-US citizens into the country at the snap of the fingers will have really bad repercussions down the road, even in a less populated state like Alaska. Bad precedence to set.

My last 3 bosses all were born in another and different countries, have accents that take a long time to understand, made more money than me, and I could have easily done their job and actually did at times. This is in the wonderfully, sell-the- family-farm, state of CA. I would not give any employer that kind of freedom, Big Mistake!

My two boys can't get into colleges here because it is overloaded with immigrants. I have nothing against these folks, just that if you want to come here, assimilate just like my great-grand parents did.

Usually, when you give someone something for free, in the end, they often don't appreciate it or understand the value of it. There are the exceptions to the rule though. It is the second & third generation Americans (not the first), that pose the problems in this regard. Our policies have ruined these folks. It is a shame & doesn't have to be that way.

In addition, sounds to me like someone is trying to gain votes, whether legal or illegal. Just my take.

Hopefully this will be the straw that broke the camels back when it comes to baggage and Murcowski. Between Obamacare and Imigration they deserve not just to be thrown out but hanged as traitors. Not to put it too lightly.

Worthless POS!

But say they were electable moderates lol

Please expound. Thank you.

Labor shortage? I've solved that many a time...payed more. End of labor shortage!

Since I don't have the money to blow a Senator I quess that this is what you have to do.

I'd make a lot more if I hired guys that were fine with making minimum wage because the girlfriend was paying the bills with Aid to Dependant Children, Food Stamps, Welfare and such on the 6 children born here in the USA.

Some of these "Rich Types" are just better at collecting government funds than the rest of us? All the while singing the "51% pay no taxes", "Cut Welfare", and "no federal unemployment extentions.

I'm all for it too, but am also for cutting the biggest freeloaders of all, those that hire illegal aliens and suck the c*cks of Senators/Congressmen to get cheap foriegn labor that we pay for.

I believe what Calvin is referring to, a few years ago, a new fish processing plant was built. The company imported their labor from Lower Slobovia. Nothing in the area of the plant was safe from vandalizum. The workers would walk up town in droves, littering the road as they went. While they were here, out breaks of scabbies and crabs (lice) were everywere. This year, the plant was required to hire local help. All of the jobs, that supposedly the company couldn't originally find local help for, were filled, by mostly local residents!
Twink

I supported comprehensive immigration reform to make sure that our borders were secured, but also to provide a path to citizenship for those who are here illegally without granting amnesty. I also fought hard to keep Alaska's fishing industry strong by ensuring it has a seasonal workforce. Working with Senator Lisa Murkowski, we included two visa provisions - J1 and W visas - to make sure seasonal seafood workers could be hired if no American workers were available.

At the Supreme Court, a critical section of the landmark Voting Rights Act (VRA) was found unconstitutional. This has a direct impact on Alaska. While times have changed since the 1960s and 70s since the VRA was enacted, many Alaska Natives and rural Alaskans have faced challenges when it comes to voting - and still do today. It is now up to Congress to fix this critical law. I'll be fighting for Alaska's unique needs and working to ensure that all Alaskans � no matter where they live - have clear and unrestrained access to the polls.

The Supreme Court also overturned the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), an important victory for individual rights. It has been my long-held belief that discrimination is wrong and government needs to stay out of our personal lives.

I'm spending this week back home in Alaska to catch up with Alaskans around the state. I spent the weekend in Homer and head to Fairbanks, Gulkana and then Glennallen later in the week. There's no better way to spend the Fourth of July and celebrate America's freedom than in Alaska, the state that knows freedom and independence better than anyone else.


Sincerely,

Senator Mark Begich

Senator Begich,
I would have to respectfully disagree with you on the DOMA. That is not about individual rights when a Mom has to explain, or avoid the question, to her child why those two men on the park bench are kissing?

If it is about individual rights then lets legalize all drugs, after all it is only the individual who is doing it and not bothering anyone, when he/she shoots up with heroin.

Justice has not done, nor individual rights protected, when five individuals can override the majority of Americans that oppose it. That would be five people overriding 158 million. Not sure how I see justice in that.

Maybe one or two of the five justices, voted down the DOMA, just to be done with the continuing issue of trying to ram it down the general public's throat. Vote it down so we can be done with the issue, but in the meantime trampling on a Mom & child's individual rights to not have to look at the two guys getting married in the park. I see Mom & child's protection and the rest of American's protection a bigger issue than gays being able to marry.

Time for new blood



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