Immigration

Their coalition is pursuing what amounts to a unite-or-fail strategy on comprehensive change. Advocates for information-technology companies have allied with progressive and Hispanic groups to win a broad overhaul of immigration law, but they are also keeping open the option of pursuing a narrow set of tech-friendly legal changes in the next Congress. "I'm happy to be part of comprehensive reform, and I'm happy to be part of a focused bill," said Brad Feld, a Colorado-based venture capitalist wh... Read more

Just a few hours before a vote Sunday on health care reform, nearly a thousand people rallied at Confluence Park in Denver — as did others elsewhere across the country — to remind politicians about the issue of immigration. "Just because they're voting on health care reform doesn't mean immigration reform gets forgotten," said Chandra Russo, spokeswoman for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition. "We like to believe they need to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time," Russo said. People... Read more

HON. JARED POLIS of colorado in the house of representatives Monday, March 22, 2010 Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to share with my colleague and all Americans interested in the cause of immigration reform; words that were shared with me by one my constituents. To the People and Government of the United States of America: We, the not authorized migrants that are looking for the American Dream, We wrote (this) in Spanish and (it) has been translated to the English Language: Manifest of the Hope W... Read more

On the eve of the historic healthcare reform vote, Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) issued the following statement after attending a rally with tens of thousands of supporters of comprehensive immigration reform in Washington, DC. “The passage of healthcare reform today only highlights the need for comprehensive immigration reform. Undocumented Americans will not be allowed to buy insurance through the health insurance marketplace, making it more critical than ever before for the U.S. to normalize... Read more

Floor Speech in Support of Passing Healthcare and Immigration Reform U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) Sunday, March 21, 2010 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This has been a long process writing this bill. I have been honored as a new member of Congress to be at the table. Along the way, scoring some wins and some losses with regard to the final product and where I’d like to see it. Overall I think it's a very strong product. I’m excited that we have the real ability to bend the cost curve with a strengthene... Read more

There is no greater country on Earth for entrepreneurship than America. In every category, from the high-tech world of Silicon Valley, where I live, to University R&D labs, to countless Main Street small business owners, Americans are taking risks, embracing new ideas and -- most importantly -- creating jobs. America's future prosperity depends on our ability to maintain this lead. But today, it is getting harder and harder to maintain. A quick glance is the rear-view mirror reveals that other c... Read more

Dos representantes que han impulsado activamente propuestas para una reforma migratoria se reunieron con un grupo de activistas y legisladores estatales en Denver para hablar sobre las probabilidades de aprobar una reforma este año. Jared Polis de Colorado y Xavier Becerra de California dijeron que tienen cerca de 100 votos en la cámara de rep-resentantes para ratificar el proyecto de ley presentado por Luis Gutiérrez, pero que la dificultad esta en el senado. Durante la reunión el sabado en Fro... Read more

Foreign scientists who want to start a U.S. company would have a better shot at doing so under two bills introduced recently in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The bills, which have received broad support from venture capitalists, would create a new path within U.S. immigration law for entrepreneurs who have attracted venture capital for their startup. Immigration reform is a political hot potato, however, so success may depend on convincing Congress that job creation is a non... Read more

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to praise President Obama for taking on the very difficult and challenging issue of entitlement reform and dealing with the tens of trillions of dollars of unfunded liabilities that are structured within the current system. The traditional ways of dealing with unfunded liabilities and entitlements include cutting spending and increasing revenues, and I applaud President Obama for proposing a budget freeze on the nondefense portions of the budget. I urge my c... Read more

Comprehensive reform seems unlikely this year, but we applaud Rep. Jared Polis' plan to create "Startup Visas." Washington ought to be dealing with the thorny and combustible issue of comprehensive immigration reform this year, as once expected, rather than setting it aside — again — for someone else to deal with in the future. But given the stormy political climate and economic uncertainty Americans are still facing, we are resigned to the fact that any progress on wide-ranging immigration refo... Read more