REPORT!!

Your Culture is Valued Here: Lessons from the DHS Immigrants and Internationals Advisory Council from the Allegheny County Department of Human Services via Vibrant Pittsburgh
"Over the past several years, the Pittsburgh area’s resurgent economy has enhanced its attractiveness as a place in which to live and work. As a result, Allegheny County, which had not experienced the growth in diversity of other major American cities in recent decades, is beginning to attract increasing numbers of immigrants and internationals who are making the region their home. While this growth is still modest when compared to that of other major metropolitan areas, it is significant enough to be reversing the downward trend of past years."

Immigrant, Refugee Assistance Available in Pittsburgh Region from Imagine Pittsburgh Now
"Through the latter part of the 20th century, the Pittsburgh region’s population has been less ethnically diverse than that of other U.S. cities of similar size. That is slowly changing, however, as a small-but-growing number of immigrants and internationals are drawn to our stable economy and educational offerings, including the Pittsburgh Promise scholarship program to city school graduates."

Overseas Students Set Record for U.S. Enrollment from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The number of international college students in America is up by 6 percent, due largely to a surge from China, whose residents now account for 1 of every 4 foreign students on U.S. campuses. The increase of 23 percent involving a country already the biggest exporter of students to this nation is among the findings of a report released today by the Institute of International Education."

Pittsburgh's Newest Immigrants: The Region is Unusual in Both the Number and Nature of its Newcomers (Christine H. O'Toole) from the Pittsburgh Quarterly
"Although only 3 percent of the region's residents are foreign-born, they comprise the most highly skilled immigrant group in the entire country, with a concentration of expertise in science and engineering. Like Tek, over 53 percent (30,542) hold a bachelor's degree or higher. "

EDITORIAL!!

More Promising: Pittsburgh's Tuition Program Casts a Wider Net from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"In recent months, business and nonprofit groups have ramped up attempts to increase the city's population overall by tapping into the immigrant pool. On Thursday, The Pittsburgh Promise -- the nonprofit that was established to lure and retain students to Pittsburgh Public Schools -- joined that effort with a targeted sales pitch. The program, which extends the possibility of college scholarships worth as much as $40,000 to graduates of city public schools and charters, kicked off a campaign to make sure legal immigrants within a 300-mile radius of Pittsburgh are aware of the Promise scholarships."

Pittsburgh Looking to Increase Immigrant Population from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Businesses and nonprofit groups are mounting a renewed effort to restore Pittsburgh's luster as a magnet for immigrants."

Pittsburgh's Immigrants Cautious About New Policy from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals" policy provides those eligible with two years to legally work without the fear of deportation. ... Origin and means aside, their stories resonate with themes often left untold in the great immigration debate of our time, which is dominated by calls for tighter borders."

New Law Will Require Documented Workers on Public Projects from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"The bill requires contractors working on public projects to verify that all workers involved are legal citizens. The house passed the bill Thursday. The state Department of Labor and Industry will be tasked with making sure contractors are compliant using the Department of Homeland Security's E-verify system. "

Vote Set to Keep Illegal Workers Off the Job in Pennsylvania from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"Both bills would forbid publicly funded construction projects -- those receiving state, county and/or municipal funding -- from being awarded to contractors and subcontractors who hire, at low wages and with no health benefits, workers who can't show that they are in the country legally. Contractors doing projects with 100 percent private funding wouldn't be covered by the bills."

OPINION!!

Pittsburgh Variety: The Mayor and Council Seek a Diverse Work Force from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"In a city not renowned for diversity, it takes effort to build a work force that's not all-male and not all-white."

PROFILES!!

From Iraq to Pittsburgh Seeking Work: Two Men Share Their Job-seeking Journeys from the Pittsburgh Business Times
Nine years ago this month, as the Iraq War began, Samir Alqass was working in his electronics store in Baghdad, unaware of the contortions his professional and personal paths were about to take. In a different part of town, another electronics store owner, Mohammed Mahmod, was about to be put out of business by the war’s aftermath."

Pennsylvania Bills Would Crack Down Strongly on Illegal Immigrants from the Patriot-News [of Harrisburg]
"It’s not every day that lawmakers in Harrisburg gird themselves for votes against illegal immigrants. ... Pollsters also say the matter grabs even less of the general public’s attention, but it seems likely to dominate the social justice agenda for the rest of this two-year legislative term. Metcalfe’s “National Security Starts At Home” package includes bills requiring:"

No Habla Español?: State Proposals Would Make English the Official Language (Lauren Daley) from the Pittsburgh City Paper
"House bills 361 and 888 would make English the official language for all Commonwealth business. In the case of 888, proposed by Rep. Scott Perry (R-Cumberland), it would extend that mandate to the state's political subdivisions, like municipalities. And both bills would mean no longer printing materials -- like the kind found at the DMV -- in languages other than English."

EDITORIAL!

Cracking Down on Illegal Immigration Would Backfire on Pennsylvania (Daniel Griswold) from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"If you believe the majority of witnesses at recent House State Government Committee hearings in Harrisburg, you would think illegal immigration is the single biggest problem confronting the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. ... Pennsylvania faces many challenges, but the inflow of too many hardworking immigrants is not among them. Pennsylvania is already one of the slowest-growing states in the union."

English-Only Bills Spark War of Words (Charles Thompson) from the Patriot News [of Harrisburg]
"The lawmakers said making English the state’s official language would also give immigrants incentive to learn English and the chance to obtain better jobs. There is no indication their efforts will fare any better than a similar bill that passed the House in 2006 before stalling in the Senate."

Bill Would Crack Down on Illegal Immigrants: Metcalfe Gets Fired Up About Immigration from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Mr. Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, who chairs the state government panel, opened two days of hearings Tuesday on more than a dozen bills that would, among other things, sanction employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants and require people to show proof of citizenship to qualify for public benefits."