US: Immigration Reform and Talks on EU/US Free Trade Zone

The day after the New York Times reported on the unveiling of a set of principles for comprehensive immigration reform (Senators Call Their Bipartisan Immigration Plan a ‘Breakthrough’), the White House released a statement outlining the President's plan for immigration reform. One way or another, it appears that change in this highly contentious, expensive and emotional area is coming.

The key principles, as outlined in the White House release, are as follows:

1. Continuing to Strengthen Border Security
2. Cracking Down on Employers Hiring Undocumented Workers
3. Earned Citizenship
4. Streamlining Legal Immigration

See the press release for more detail.  In related news, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services debuted the first chapter of a long-awaited revision to the internal policy manual used by immigration adjudicators and officers. The new citizenship and naturalization section took effect on January 22.

The United States will also open talks with Europe to launch what would be the world's largest free trade zone, US President Barack Obama announced in his State of the Union address.