Hundreds of thousands of people supporting immigration rights in the US filled streets all over America in early 2006. Many held signs and American flags and asked to be treated as citizens--not criminals. Many of these supported legislation from Senator John McCain that would open a path to citizenship to immigrants who were already in the country illegally. Proposed legislation from other politicians called for stricter measures--including rounding up undocumented immigrants and sending them back to their home countries.
Canadian officials say that immigration applications continue to rise. Some want to keep the doors open. They need the labor. About 400,000 immigrants were allowed into the country in 2005, according to the Canadian Government statistics. However, all this growth means that cities need to adapt. Newcomers don’t always make a smooth transition into jobs for which they are skilled. So industries are using mentoring programs to help new immigrants find proper jobs.
With the large numbers of undocumented African immigrants arriving in the Canary Islands and showing no sign of abating, the Spanish Government has decided to get tough. There will be no more mass amnesties for illegals, and anyone coming to Spain without permission will be sent back, the government has announced. About 23,000 migrants landed on the islands in 2006, and riots have erupted in some crowded reception centers. This has promoted local authorities to appeal to the United Nations for help.
France’s new immigration and integration law gives the government new powers to encourage high-skilled migration. It takes effect in 2007. The new law authorizes the government to identify particular professions where France has a talent shortage. Then the government will help these identified employers find immigrant workers with needed skills or qualifications. The selected foreign employees will be granted "skills and talents" visas, valid for three years. But some concern that it’ll cause brain drain in developing countries.
Immigration and ProblemsSome Canadian officials want to keep the door open because______.