It has been a rollercoaster week for immigration rights in the United States.

On the good front, Arizona defeated all anti-immigrant bills. Senator Schumer is now saying that a comprehensive bill will be ready by Labor day that will benefit higher skilled workers more so than those with ‘low skills.’ Victims of domestic violence cases may be getting asylum.

Missouri banned financial aid for the 2 undocumented students they have in higher education in the state. The bill is pointless since in all likelihood, undocumented students in the state didn’t get financial support prior to its passage.

It’s getting harder to hire H-1B workers and Obama has stepped up on enforcement against employers who are deemed to hire undocumented immigrants.

The Senate approved the Sessions amendment to extend E-verify for federal contractors but dropped the no-match rule. It’s more of the same from the days of the Bush Administration, with little change. The New York Times called it a non-solution. 13 Democrats broke ranks to vote with Republicans on the issue. They are: Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), Bryan Dorgan (D-N.D.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), John Tester (D-Mont.).

Some of these Senators would provide the crucial votes in favor of the DREAM Act and immigration reform.

DHS will resume using E-verify on Sept 8, with respect to federal contractors.

Sotomayor’s confirmation hearing continued in the Senate. She actually seems to have a ‘moderate’ voting record on immigration cases:

[...] in the nearly 850 cases you have decided in the Second Circuit, you ruled in favor of the government–that is, against the petitioner seeking asylum, the immigrant seeking asylum–83 percent of the time.

That’s the standard average on denials for immigrants seeking asylum.

Recent data shows the changing face of immigration–more than half of immigrants coming to the United States are women. New Media America examines the ways in which these immigrants integrate themselves into U.S. society.

A proposed California measure (California Taxpayer Protection Act 2010) seeks to end state benefits for undocumented immigrants and their children, including their U.S. citizen children. Given that California can pass something as outrageous as Prop 8, there is a pressing need to organize against this immigrant scapegoating and illegal measure if it makes it on the 2010 ballot.

In Massachusetts, even legal immigrants are being kicked off the healthcare rolls under the pretext that it saves the state money. But the IPC just wrote a great piece on why including immigrants in any healthcare reform makes economic sense:

When health care costs are distributed across a broader pool of people, the overall costs for everyone goes down. By including immigrants, who are generally younger and healthier than U.S. citizens, we can lower overall costs because immigrants will pay in, take less out, and receive less-expensive preventive care.  Refusing to accept people who want to pay into the system doesn’t make sense. Immigrants are the not the cause of the health care crisis, but they can be part of the solution.

Looking around the world, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva granted Brazil’s roughly 200,000 undocumented immigrants amnesty. Italy also seems to be moving forward with granting an amnesty to ‘illegal’ migrant workers but has implemented greater crackdowns. Canada is taking steps back from NAFTA agreement and requiring Mexicans show visas upon entry. Speaking of NAFTA–the number 1 cause for ‘illegal immigration’ from Mexico–we can be sure that it won’t be addressed in any CIR package.