The chairman of the House Immigration Subcommittee wants to expand E-Verify, an online system for checking workers’ immigration status. But business leaders are taking a cautious approach.

New York’s immigrant advocates announced their legislative priorities for the year. At the top of the list are ensuring language access to state government services and ending the state’s participation in the U.S. Secure Communities program.

NYCRx, a nonprofit organization in New York City began distributing free discount prescription cards this week for uninsured and underinsured New Yorkers.

On Twitter, blogs, Facebook and other media, the Egyptian diaspora is afire with words of solidarity with the protesters, calls for Mubarak to resign immediately and anger towards what they view as misrepresentation by the Western media.

Egyptian Americans are jubilant about the uprising in their homeland, but anxious about what will come next.

Just as supporters of immigration reform were losing hope, the president said he wants to take on “once and for all, the issue of illegal immigration.”

New York’s Mayor promised in his State of the City address to create a new program to help immigrant entrepreneurs open small businesses. The program’s details are still being worked out.

Under the Department of Labor’s new rules, many employers will be required to increase pay for their workers who are in the U.S. on H-2B visas. But there’s disagreement over whether that’s a good idea.

A lack of federal action on immigration reform has created a vacuum which state legislators are rushing to fill. If the first two weeks are any indication, 2011 is going to be a headline-grabbing year for immigration.

California Congressman Elton Gallegly is a surprise choice to head the committee.