Women’s issues take immigration reform spotlight

Article here. Excerpt:

'Women immigrants find themselves subject to abuse and lack of rights with little recourse, according to testimony from experts and activists who are urging national lawmakers to prioritize women in any comprehensive reform plan.

The director for National Domestic Workers Alliance, Ai-jen Poo, told Congress that past immigration overhauls have focused solely on the economic needs of U.S. companies, to the detriment of the immigrants’ rights.

“Today women and children represent two-thirds of all immigrants in the United States,” Poo told the Senate Judiciary committee on Monday. “But, unfortunately, past rounds of immigration reform have excluded women’s experiences.”
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Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, pushed back on the urge to open the immigration system based on family needs. Sessions said that immigration decisions must always be in the national interest.

“Just because it’s painful _ you made a choice to come to America _ doesn’t necessarily mean, I think, that you get to bring your aging parents or your brother and sister,” Sessions said in committee.

Sessions argued that the United States must have a limit on immigration, and those admitted should be chosen based on criteria like education, achievement, and ability to contribute economically.'