Q-and-A: Does Immigration Reform Target the Wrong Noncitizens?

Stomping early, President Barack Obama addressed the National Council of La Raza on July 25. Blaming Republicans for the lack of immigration reform, he urged would-be constituents to "keep the heat on me." Yet is the Democratic Party looking to reform policies for the immigrants who really need it?

Who are America's aliens?

As outlined previously on Yahoo! News, 12.5 percent of American residents -- as of 2009 -- were foreign-born. Latin America was originally home to approximately 53 percent of these immigrants, while Asia sent 27 percent. California, New York and Texas led the nation with respect to having foreign nationals move in. Roughly 5.5 percent were naturalized citizens, while the remaining 7.1 percent were a mix of illegal aliens, permanent residents, temporary immigrants and those in between visa statuses.

Go back to 2007 available figures, and the workforce itself included 23.9 million foreign-born workers, which translated into 15.6 percent of working American residents. This figure does not include illegal aliens who may have committed document fraud to receive employment, or those who work under the table for employers apprised of their (il)legal status.

Whom does the White House's immigration reform talk target?

The White House identifies "future entrepreneurs and scientists." The Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers opined that "we should be stapling a green card to their diplomas and providing Startup Visas to those with the best ideas" when discussing foreign students. This opinion resonates with the bipartisan Partnership for a New American Economy, which includes industry greats such as Microsoft Corporation, News Corporation and Marriott International. These immigrants would be those who could benefit from the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program and perhaps also their families.

It does not address the illegally employed restaurant dishwashers, hotel maids or field workers -- other than to say that "American companies rely on immigrant workers to fill seasonal and labor-intensive jobs." In this manner, low-skilled immigrant labor boosts the overall bottom line of companies and businesses.

Should the White House and bipartisan efforts target non-entrepreneurial noncitizens?

Although it would make more sense to address the fiscally self-sufficient immigrant, as well as the foreign brilliant minds who are currently receiving an American college or university education, it is the 'other' set of immigrants who really need a hand up. As outlined previously via the Y!CN, 2008 statistics supported the suggestion that 17.8 percent of immigrant-led households were living below the poverty line.

Some of these immigrants relied on housing assistance, school lunch programs, food stamps and energy assistance programs to survive on a day to day basis. The White House's immigration reform targeting would-be EB-5 immigrants does not reach them.

It is clear that there may be a -- possibly intentional -- type of double-speak in the debate over immigration reform. If you are a cynical observer, you might wonder if, while the discussion centers on high-skilled labor and brilliant minds, the benefits of proposed legislation might just be aimed at the 'other' group of immigrants. Then again, if you are generally distrusting, you might wonder if the talk of immigration reform is little more than Bauernfaengerei to secure constituent votes with reforms that will not benefit them directly or at all.

Sylvia Cochran offers an insider's perspective of the American immigration system. Having gone through the steps of becoming a citizen -- and currently living in a border state -- she brings hands-on familiarity with hot-button issues to the table.