Immigration Law
Greg Siskind's Blog 
Latest news related to immigration law in a simple, clear, and interesting manner by a partner in Siskind Susser's Memphis, Tennessee office who specializes in immigration matters in the healthcare and technology industries.
Post Frequency: 4.3/day Last Entry: November 20, 2009 at 07:52:05 Recent Entries: 1350
By Greg Siskind
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IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: SHAMI FAROUK - ENTREPRENEUR AND POLITICIAN
Posted on November 20, 2009Palestine-born hair-care entrepreneur Shami Farouk made news this week when he announced he will spend $10 million of his fortune to finance a race for governor of Texas. He hopes to raise another $10 million along the way. Farouk is obviously not the typical Texas politician, but is hoping home state will emulate neighboring Louisiana which elected Bobby Jindal, an Indian-American to lead the state.
DOBBS CONSIDERING RUN FOR SENATE
Posted on November 20, 2009Media sources are reporting that former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs is considering taking his $8 million severance package and using the funds to finance a run for the Senate against NJ Democratic Senator Bob Menendez. Menendez?s office issued a statement this week regarding the speculation: 'Senator Menendez has his nose to the grindstone to help create an economic recovery for New Jersey families and will not be distracted by an election three years away,' Menendez spokesman Afshin Mohamadi told the New York Times...
IMMIGRANTS MORE LIKELY TO SUPPORT BANS ON SMOKING
Posted on November 20, 2009Interesting. I guess as I?m in Europe all week and see smokers everywhere, I?ve been working under the assumption that smoking is much more prominent outside the US and immigrants would therefore be more likely to be smokers. But apparently immigrants to the US are coming in bigger numbers from countries where smoking is less prominent...
THE CALCULUS ON IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on November 20, 2009While many presume that the poor economic circumstances in the US will scuttle immigration reform in coming months, I?ve been repeating my observation that the White House and congressional leaders are more worried about not locking in Hispanic voters which shifted a substantial percentage of their votes to Democrats in the last few election cycles...
WHITE HOUSE EMPLOYER COMPLIANCE CAMPAIGN GOES INTO OVERDRIVE
Posted on November 19, 2009Immigration and Customs Enforcement Assistant Secretary John Morton announced today that the agency will inspect the I-9 records of approximately 1000 companies around the US, dwarfing the announcement in July that nearly 600 firms were being investigated...
LEARNING FROM THE ANTIS
Posted on November 19, 2009I usually use this space's real estate to criticize the tactics of the antis. But I'll give them some credit for the extremely effective job they did during the first two rounds of immigration reform earlier this decade. That was largely because of a well organized grass roots effort that left the pro-immigrant forces in the dust...
H-1B NUMBERS DOWN TO FINAL 10,000
Posted on November 18, 2009USCIS is reporting that as of November 6th, 54,900 H-1Bs had been issued against the 65,000 annual quota. While this represents a dramatic drop in H-1B applications over previous years. In 2007, nearly 200,000 applications were filed in the first week applications were open and in 2009, the application period is now in its seventh month...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: EUGENIA BRIN - SCIENTIST
Posted on November 14, 2009I had a chance to get to know Genia Brin, Google founder Sergey Brin's mom, when we jointly served on the board of HIAS. She's an impressive woman who could sit back and relax, but instead she goes to work everyday as a NASA scientist and works on climate and forecasting projects for our nation's space agency...
WHITE HOUSE SIGNALS IMMIGRATION REFORM EFFORTS DEFINITELY A GO FOR 2010
Posted on November 13, 2009This is key. We've been hearing that the White House was still up in the air between the energy bill and immigration and that one of the two would likely be pushed back until after the election. Now it looks like the White House thinks it can walk and chew gum (presumably after the President's approval ratings are slipping as people sense the White House is not actually keeping any of its promises).
IMMIGRATION HUMOR: LOU DOBBS "QUITS" CNN, DEMANDS THAT PEOPLE STOP PUTTING QUOTES AROUND "QUIT"
Posted on November 13, 2009More fun Dobbs humor at Ridiculopathy.
IPC RELEASES RECOMMENDATIONS ON FUTURE OF E-VERIFY
Posted on November 12, 2009The Immigration Policy Center has released a new report entitled FOCUSING ON THE SOLUTIONS - Employment Verification: Repairing our Broken Immigration System which discusses the future of the E-Verify program. IPC makes a number of helpful recommendations including the following: 1...
IMMIGRATION HUMOR: THE REAL REASON DOBBS IS LEAVING CNN
Posted on November 12, 2009From the fine folks at The Onion.
EFFECTIVELY IMMEDIATELY!
Posted on November 11, 2009Lou Dobbs has quit CNN and his last show was this evening. No word from the Dark Lord on his next haunting post.
SENATORS THINK WORKERS ARE WIDGETS
Posted on November 10, 2009When I was in law school at the University of Chicago, our economics-oriented professors would often refer to "widgets" when they needed to refer to an unnamed manufactured object. A widget is really an "any object" that is interchangeable with other widgets...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: NASIM PEDRAD - COMEDIAN
Posted on November 10, 2009Saturday Night Live welcomed Iranian-born Nasim Pedrad as its newest cast member this season. Nasim is the cast's first Asian performer and comes from a successful improv career in Los Angeles. I'm looking forward to seeing what memorable characters Nasim will bring us this season.
FLORIDA SENATE CANDIDATE TRIES TO STRADDLE IMMIGRATION ISSUE
Posted on November 10, 2009Marco Rubio has a challenge. He needs to appeal to conservatives in order to drum up enough votes to defeat popular Governor Charlie Crist in next year's Florida GOP primary. Then he has to run back to the middle to appeal to an increasingly liberal Florida general electorate...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: ALEJANDRO VILLANUEVA - SOLDIER, FOOTBALL PLAYER
Posted on November 09, 2009One of the stand out football players for the United States Military Academy at West Point is junior Alejandro Villanueva, a Spaniard who played high school football in Belgium. The wide receiver is also the tallest player in all of college football - 6 foot, 10 inches...
WOULD MASS DEPORTATION MEAN MORE JOBS FOR US WORKERS?
Posted on November 09, 2009Wendy Sefsaf of the Immigration Policy Center makes the case that the answer is no. And she also lays out the evidence that legalizing those workers would actually raise wages for US workers and contribute to economic growth that will result in more job creation.
IMMIGRANTS PLAYING CRITICAL ROLE IN MILITARY
Posted on November 09, 2009My friend Margaret Stock has prepared an excellent report for the Immigration Policy Center entitled ESSENTIAL TO THE FIGHT: IMMIGRANTS IN THE MILITARY EIGHT YEARS AFTER 9/11. Margaret, an officer in the army and the undisputed leading national expert on immigration and the American armed forces, notes a number of key findings in her report: As of June 30, 2009, there were 114,601 foreign?born individuals serving in the armed forces, representing 7...
NATURALIZATION PROCESS IMPROVING
Posted on November 08, 2009I usually devote a lot of blog space to complaining about problems in the immigration system. Naturalization is one area, however, where most of my colleagues would agree things have gotten a lot better. Processing times are the most obvious metric where this is being shown...
INCREASED H-1B NUMBERS MAY NOT REFLECT AN INCREASE IN FILINGS
Posted on November 08, 2009A few days back I reported that the H-1B cap count had jumped by almost 6,000 from September's count and that this might mean numbers would run out much earlier than we anticipated. USCIS has reported to AILA, however, that there is an explanation for the jump and it is not that there are more applications being filed...
IRAQ VET STORY HAS A HAPPY ENDING
Posted on November 07, 2009The Los Angeles Times reports that USCIS showed some humanity and granted parole to Frances Barrios, the wife of an Iraq veteran suffering from severe post traumatic stress disorder. I wrote about this story last month and am glad to hear this very good news.
ANTIS IN A TIZZY OVER NY CONGRESSIONAL RACE
Posted on November 05, 2009This is actually pretty funny.
REMEMBERING MARCELO
Posted on November 05, 2009Long Island Wins remembers Marcelo Lucero, a young Ecuadoran immigrant who was the victim of a hate-inspired murder.
WISCONSIN DAIRY FARMERS COMPLETELY DEPENDENT ON IMMIGRANT LABOR
Posted on November 04, 2009We've seen this story in one agricultural field after another. America's Dairyland is no different.
CNN'S HOWARD KURTZ DISCUSSES DOBBS CONTROVERSIES
Posted on November 03, 2009An interesting discussion that questions whether Dobbs is in it just for ratings and whether his recent shooting incident was distorted for publicity:
MOST TENNESSEE VOTERS FAVOR LEGALIZATION OF ILLEGALLY PRESENT IMMIGRANTS
Posted on November 03, 2009An interesting survey showing 51% of voters in one of America's most politically conservative states favor legalizing illegally present immigrants in one form or another:Tennesseans appear ambivalent about how best to deal with illegal immigrants currently working in the United States...
H-1B USAGE ACCELERATING
Posted on November 03, 2009I've been monitoring H-1B numbers each month and have noted a rather dramatic jump in filings over the last few months. At the current pace, the 65,000 H-1B numbers in the main category could be gone in January (the 20,000 H-1Bs for advance degree holders was used up at the beginning of the entry period)...
SUPREME COURT MAY CONSIDER CHALLENGE TO ARIZONA LAW
Posted on November 03, 2009This would be a critical development that would finally resolve the issue of what role states can play regulating immigration. The Arizona law allows the state to revoke business licenses for employers that knowingly hire unauthorized workers and also mandates employers use the E-Verify system.
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: MEB KEFLEZIGHI - NYC MARATHON WINNER
Posted on November 02, 2009Eritrean-born Meb Keflezighi, who won the New York City Marathon yesterday, is the first American man to win the race in 27 years. Meb came to the US as a 12 year old boy in 1987 as a refugee from his war-torn country and became a US citizen in 1998. He has emerged as one of America's leading long-distance runners since graduating from UCLA...
GOOGLE FOUNDER GIVES BACK TO REFUGEE AGENCY
Posted on November 01, 2009This story really makes me happy. I just wrapped up a dozen years of service on the board of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, the organization that helped my family and my wife's family immigrate to the US. Sergey Brin, the founder of Google, was a more recent beneficiary of the good work of HIAS and I've honored him as well as an Immigrant of the Day...
BY THE NUMBERS
Posted on November 01, 2009The Migration Policy Institute has released a web page compiling statistics on US immigration that is worth a read if you're into numbers.
MARY LANDRIEU TELLS VITTER HE'S A MORON
Posted on October 31, 2009Well, that's basically what the senior Senator from Lousiana said in reference to his ridiculously unconstitutional proposal to try to exclude immigrants from the US census.
SCAMWATCH: PHONY ICE AGENT PROMISED SPEEDY PROCESSING IN EXCHANGE FOR CASH
Posted on October 31, 2009A Hollywood, Florida man has been given three years jail time for impersonating an ICE agent and promising people that he could expedite immigration applications and supply temporary work documents.
CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR CANDIDATE SUPPORTS IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on October 31, 2009Former EBay CEO Meg Whitman is one of the leading contenders for the GOP nomination to succeed Arnold Schwarzeneger as governor of California. She's also just shown a little courage and made clear that she supports immigration reform that includes a path to legalization for the country's illegal immigrants...
SLUMP IN H-1B NUMBERS BACK UP CALLS FOR TYING QUOTA TO MARKET DEMAND
Posted on October 31, 2009A Wall Street Journal story looks at the reasons behind the extraordinary drop in H-1B applications. Here's the money quote: Companies that use H-1B visas argue the market, rather than Congress, should dictate the number of visas issued. The fact that the 65,000-visa cap hasn't been reached this year shows that the market will temper demand when necessary, said Jenifer Verdery, director of work-force policy at Intel Corp...
SCAMWATCH: ICE DEFENDS AGAINST CORRUPTION CHARGES IN EL PASO OFFICE
Posted on October 31, 2009From the El Paso Times: The Associated Press reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been involved in various illegal activities. In El Paso, there are charges of interfering in an El Paso police investigation. More than one U.S. city was named in situations that included: Internet pornography, improper relationships with informants, and allowing an informant to smuggle a group of undocumented immigrants into the U...
DOBBS UNDER FIRE
Posted on October 30, 2009Literally. Some horribly misguided idiot has done the antis a big favor by firing a gun at Lou Dobbs' home. Aside from the fact that someone could have gotten hurt, the action could be seen by dangerous right wing xenophobes as a signal of some sort of war that justifies violence against pro-immigration advocates...
HIV ADMISSIBILITY BAN NOW OFFICIALLY ENDING
Posted on October 30, 2009Finally. Here is the language: Removal of HIV from inadmissibility list -
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: CHAN HO PARK - BASEBALL PLAYER
Posted on October 29, 2009Korean-born Chan Ho Park is pitching in tonight's World Series for Philadelphia. Park was the first South Korean player in the Major Leagues. He's had a long career - 15 years - and has played for a number of teams including the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Texas Rangers, the San Diego Padres, the New York Mets and now the Phillies.
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: HIDEKI MATSUI - BASEBALL PLAYER
Posted on October 29, 2009New York Yankees designated hitter Hideki Matsui, a Japanese native, just hit a beautiful home run in game 2 of the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Matsui is an unusual player because he bats left-handed and throws right-handed. The 35-year old Matsui was a star in Japan before he was recruited to play for the Yankees in 2003...
HIV ADMISSIBILITY BAN NOW OFFICIALLY ENDING
Posted on October 29, 2009Finally. Here is the language: Removal of HIV from inadmissibility list -
ANTIS PREPARING TO HOLD ANTI-IMMIGRATION REFORM TEA PARTIES
Posted on October 29, 2009Hardly a surprise. But just as the tea parties of last summer have not stopped health care reform favored by the majority of Americans, these protests are not going to stop the momentum in favor of immigration reform.
OMBUDSMAN RECOMMENDS USCIS SHOW COMMONSENSE WHEN HANDLING H-1B CASES WITH LCA PROBLEMS
Posted on October 26, 2009The last few months have been extremely challenging for H-1B applicants as the Department of Labor iCert program for filing Labor Condition Applications has proven to be deeply flawed. Gone are the days of instant LCA approvals. Now, applications routinely take at least a week to approve and a high percentage of applications are being rejected because of problems with the DOL software...
IMPRACTICAL AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL
Posted on October 26, 2009How Senator David Vitter (R-LA) is still in Congress after his prostitute scandal escapes me. If his latest legislative effort is some kind of attempt to redeem himself with voters, he's living in a very warped world. Vitter is proposing to cut off funding for the 2010 Census unless the survey checks the citizenship of all people responding...
IT'S ABOUT RESPECTING THE AMERICAN SOLDIER
Posted on October 26, 2009Regular readers of this blog know that I get upset easily when I hear about how anti-immigration policies negatively impact military families. Soldiers who put their lives on the line to preserve the American way of life deserve better. The Los Angeles Times writes about Frances Barrios, the wife of US Army Spc...
MILITARY NATURALIZES 10,000 SOLDIERS
Posted on October 22, 2009A tradition dating back to the founding of the republic continues.
CONGRESS FINALLY SCRAPS WIDOW PENALTY
Posted on October 22, 2009Thanks to readers for the link. From the Times: The Senate approved a measure on Tuesday that would end what has become known as the ?widow penalty? ? the government?s practice of annulling foreigners? applications for permanent residency when their American spouses die before the marriage is two years old...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: GUSTAVO DUDAMEL - MAESTRO
Posted on October 22, 2009Tonight, PBS' Great Performances featured the debut of 28-year old Venezuelan-born Gustavo Dudamel as the Conductor and Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. To make his inaugural concert even more of a spectacular event, Dudamel conducted the symphony in the premiere of John Adams' new work City Noir.
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: CHARLES WESLEY MUMBERE - KING
Posted on October 22, 2009Ugandan-born Charles Wesley Mumbere, a former nurse's aide in Maryland and Pennsylvania, was crowned king of Uganda's 300,000-strong Rwenzururu Kingdom. Mumbere was sent to the US in 1984 as a young man in order to get an education. In 1987, he sought political asylum due to political upheaval in his country...
ROXANA BACON NAMED USCIS CHIEF COUNSEL
Posted on October 21, 2009I was thrilled at the news that my friend Roxie Bacon has been lulled out of retirement from the practice of immigration law to serve her country as the chief lawyer for US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Bender's has Roxie's biography, but those who have practiced immigration law for more than just a couple of years no about Roxie's legendary reputation in the bar.
LA TIMES: RIGHT TO COUNSEL SHOULD INCLUDE COMPETENCE
Posted on October 19, 2009The Los Angeles Times addresses the case the Supreme Court heard this week regarding the right of an immigrant defendant to competent legal counsel: The right to counsel is one of the glories of this nation's legal system, but it means little if a client can't depend on his lawyer to provide an accurate account of his legal options...
TARGET APOLOGIZES FOR IMMIGRANT HALLOWEEN COSTUME
Posted on October 19, 2009Someone thought this was okay?
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: IQBAL THEBA - ACTOR
Posted on October 17, 2009Pakistani-born comedic actor Iqbal Theba has had guest roles in a number of television shows, but this year he landed an ongoing role in a show likely to make him a familiar face to a big audience. He's Principal Figgins in Fox's hit new musical/drama/comedy Glee...
NOVEMBER VISA BULLETIN IS OUT
Posted on October 17, 2009November shows some nice advancement in the family immigration categories, particularly in the Family 1st and Family 2A categories and, for Mexicans, in the Family 3rd category. Employment categories don't show very much movement, unfortunately. No retrogression, but not much advancement either...
LEGAL IMMIGRANTS COULD BE IN LIMBO UNDER HEALTH CARE REFORM PROPOSALS
Posted on October 16, 2009I'm glad to see Immigration Voice weighing in on this one. Under some of the versions of health care reform proposals being considered by Congress, legal immigrants could be excluded for five years before they can access the Medicaid and insurance subsidies despite the fact that they pay taxes, are abiding by all of our laws and are often making critical contributions to the success of this country.
HARVARD CANCELS INVITATION FROM MINUTEMAN FOUNDER
Posted on October 16, 2009Apparently, he's spoken there before. Fortunately, this time the story is different: The Undergraduate Legal Committee released a statement that read, ?Mr. Gilchrist?s participation in the conference on the behalf of the Minutemen Project was not compatible with providing an environment for civil, educational, and productive discourse on immigration, and we cannot host him at this time...
SCAMWATCH: GEORGIA MAN CHARGED WITH POSING AS IMMIGRATION LAWYER
Posted on October 16, 2009A convicted burglar and bigamist has been charged with defrauding Guyanese immigrants in California, Georgia, Florida, Maryland and North Carolina. Wilmer Rivera Melendez is alleged to have scammed thousands of dollars and dispensed with advice that has landed a number of people in deportation proceedings.
DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN FACES PRIMARY CHALLENGE OVER IMMIGRATION ISSUES
Posted on October 16, 2009This is an interesting development. House Democrat Dan Lipinski is being threatened with a primary challenge from Jorge Mujica, a well known Hispanic leader in the Chicago area. According to Mujica, he's taking on Lipinski because of his immigration voting record...
THE FOUNDERS VISAS
Posted on October 15, 2009Technologist Paul Graham has an interesting idea to help boost the economy: The single biggest thing the government could do to increase the number of startups in this country is a policy that would cost nothing: establish a new class of visa for startup founders...
BASTADOBBS - YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS, CNN
Posted on October 15, 2009The folks at Presente.org have put together this great video letting CNN know it can't have it both ways.
SCAMWATCH
Posted on September 30, 2009The Oklahoman reports on various unsavory types targeting immigrants in the Sooner state for bilking in car sales, home repairs and legal services.
NATURE: US VISA NIGHTMARES
Posted on September 30, 2009Nature, one of the world's best known science journals, takes note of the disaster that is our system for the immigration of scientists.
DO YOU FEEL LUCKY?
Posted on September 30, 2009The 2011 Diversity Visa lottery is about to start. From the country that gave the world Las Vegas, comes this unique immigration program. The entry period runs from October 2nd to November 30th.
DHS GETS FUNDS TO OPERATE ANOTHER MONTH
Posted on September 30, 2009The Senate approved a stop-gap spending bill that will allow the Department of Homeland Security to operate until the end of October while House and Senate conferees try to work out a final version of the agency's spending bill. The measure now goes to President Obama who is expected to sign the bill...
SCAMWATCH
Posted on September 28, 2009ABC News reports that the FBI is investigating CBP officers have allegedly been accepting bribes to admit immigrants at US border posts.
CRYSTAL WILLIAMS CHOSEN AS DIRECTOR OF AILA
Posted on September 28, 2009The American Immigration Lawyers Association has announced that Crystal Williams has been chosen to replace the Jeanne Butterfield as the organization's new executive director. Crystal has served in a variety of positions at AILA and is well-known and well-liked by the membership...
MALDEF HEAD: DON'T BLOCK PIECEMEAL IMMIGRATION REFORM IF COMPREHENSIVE FAILS
Posted on September 28, 2009This is really a contentious issue both in the pro and anti immigration communities and it is surprising that it has taken this long for one of the major advocacy groups to raise the issue publicly. . Pro-immigration groups are divided on the strategy question of whether allowing measures to go piecemeal will peel off support for some of the tougher measures like a legalization program...
IMMIGRATION REMOVAL PROCEEDINGS UP 110% IN LAST FIVE YEARS
Posted on September 26, 2009When the antis claim this winter that we can't proceed with a legalization program until we can show we're enforcing existing laws, add this statistic to the list of facts supporting the argument that DHS has already shown it is effectively enforcing immigration rules.
USCIS GETTING CLOSER ON SCRAPPING HIV BAR?
Posted on September 26, 2009One hint - they will now hold in abeyance cases that are deniable only because of the HIV ban. Next up - issuance of a final rule ending the ban.
SCAM WATCH
Posted on September 26, 2009Lately, I'm seeing more and more reports of corrupt individuals bilking would be immigrants with false promises of visas and green cards. I'm going to try and highlight these stories to help increase consumer awareness and curtail some of this nonsense...
MARRIAGE FRAUD GRANDMA SENTENCED TO 44 MONTHS
Posted on September 25, 2009ICE officials have announced the break up of a major marriage fraud ring in Texas. According to ICE: A 72-year-old grandmother who operated a marriage fraud ring for decades was sentenced Sept. 23 to serve 44 months in federal prison. The sentence was announced by Acting U...
IMMIGRATION PROGRAMS EXTENDED FOR A MONTH
Posted on September 25, 2009The four immigration programs set to expire September 30th - the religious workers, EB-5 regional centers, E-Verify and the Conrad 30 J-1 program - have been given another month of life as part of a continuing resolution that will give House and Senate conferees more time to complete work on the Department of Homeland Security spending bill.
ANDREW SULLIVAN: IMMIGRATION SYSTEM AT A BREAKING POINT
Posted on September 23, 2009Andrew Sullivan, uber-blogger and one of the country's most influential political pundits warns that our paralyzed immigration system is at a point where it is harming our economic security: The legal immigration system - the same one that has kept me in limbo for a quarter of a century - is reaching a breaking point...
USCIS UNVEILS NEW WEB SITE
Posted on September 22, 2009I'm going to be participating in an online tour of the new site for bloggers later today and expect to have more to say, but check out the new USCIS web site. It looks pretty impressive at first glance and I'm looking forward to learning more about the new features.
DOBBS CRITICIZED FOR PROMOTING WEBSITE HOSTING PRO-SECESSION ARTICLES
Posted on September 22, 2009CNN's comic relief.
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: JIM YONG KIM - UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT
Posted on September 22, 2009South Korean-born Dr. Jim Yong Kim today assumes the presidency of Dartmouth College and becomes the first Asian American to lead an Ivy League university. The physician, teacher and infectious disease expert told the Dartmouth community: It is ?deeply humbling for me ? the child of Korean immigrants from a small town in Iowa? to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors and lead Dartmouth College...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: SHOHREH AGHDASHLOO - ACTRESS
Posted on September 20, 2009Congratulations to Iranian-born actress Shohreh Aghdashloo for her winning an Emmy Award for her role in the HBO film House of Saddam. Aghdashloo made her American acting debut 20 years ago and has enjoyed a distinguished and successful career.
AMERICAN IMMIGRATION LAWYERS ASSOCIATION CONFIRMS JOE WILSON WAS NEVER A MEMBER
Posted on September 17, 2009From TPMMuckraker: Late Update: AILA spokesman George Tzamaras confirms to TPMmuckraker that, according to an extensive search of the group's membership database, no one from South Carolina by the name Joe Wilson or Addison Wilson has ever been a member.
WILSON IMMIGRATION LAWYER STORY GOES ON
Posted on September 17, 2009My little blog post from last Friday seems to have legs. Earlier this evening, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann made Wilson his "Worst Person in the World" over the issue. Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
MEDIA MATTERS LAUNCHES DOBBS BOYCOTT
Posted on September 16, 2009After achieving success leading a boycott of Glenn Beck, Media Matters has launched "Drop Dobbs". The campaign's web site lays out the case why advertisers should not link themselves with his nightly hatefest. CNN may be interested in taking another look at Dobbs' show if only because his ratings are tanking.
ANTIS DESCEND ON CAPITOL HILL
Posted on September 15, 2009Yawn. But at least the Washington Post's Spencer Hsu reminds people that these groups are linked with extremists.
MORE PEOPLE ARE ASKING WHETHER JOE WILSON REALLY PRACTICED IMMIGRATION LAWYER
Posted on September 14, 2009Daily Kos and Talking Points Memo each link to my post from Friday. Zackary Roth at TCM also checked with additional immigration lawyers in South Carolina who had similar reports to the ones with whom I spoke. And not to stray too far from the more important question, my friend Marshall Fitz at the Center for American Progress has a new piece refuting the lie that illegally present immigrants are covered by health care reform proposals.
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: KARIM RASHID - INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER
Posted on September 13, 2009Egyptian-born Karim Rashid is one of the world's top industrial designers whose product designs are not only in the marketplace, but in many of the world's top museums. He has designed furniture, clothes and interiors and is also a well known painter...
IMMIGRANTS OF THE DAY: THE VON TRAPP FAMILY SINGERS
Posted on September 12, 2009Most people know the story of this famous Austrian family that was the subject of the musical play and film The Sound of Music. Many may not realize that after the family fled Austria, they immigrated to the United States and brought their singing talent to American audiences...
WILSON CLAIMS TO HAVE BEEN AN IMMIGRATION LAWYER IN THE PAST. NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on September 11, 2009Sorry, that revelation just made my head explode. The "You Lie!" Congressman claims to have been an immigration lawyer before going to Congress. I'm working on whether that is true or has the same truthiness as the illegal aliens in the health care bill myth.
DID JOE WILSON MAKE UP STORY ABOUT PRACTICING IMMIGRATION LAW?
Posted on September 11, 2009Yesterday Congressman Joe Wilson talked to reporters about his claim that the President was lying about immigrants having access to health care subsidies under the President's health care plan. According to the NY Times: ?I?m for immigration,? [Wilson] said, adding that he had been an immigration lawyer, although he did not specify exactly what he had done...
PRESIDENT HECKLED BY GOP CONGRESSMAN OVER BOGUS CLAIM THAT ILLEGALLY PRESENT IMMIGRANTS WILL BE COVERED IN IN HEALTH CARE BILL
Posted on September 10, 2009There has been an interesting alliance of antis in both the health care and immigration arenas to scare people in to believing that illegally present immigrants will be eligible for subsidies to secure health insurance under the health care reform proposal being pushed by President Obama...
OCTOBER VISA BULLETIN NUMBERS SHOW MODEST IMPROVEMENTS
Posted on September 10, 2009October is usually a month where we see improvements as new visa numbers become available for a new fiscal year. Most categories showed forward movement though few jumps of more than a few months. The exception is the Mexico Family 1st category which jumps a year and a half...
FACT CHECK: ILLEGALLY PRESENT IMMIGRANTS AND HEALTH CARE REFORM
Posted on September 10, 2009Since Congressman Wilson is having conniptions about illegally present immigrants being granted free health care, I thought I would provide a link to an article debunking this myth. Hope this makes you sleep better tonight, Congressman. I'm really worried about you.
IPC TARGETS MYTH THAT IMMIGRANTS ARE DRIVING THE HEALTH CARE CRISIS
Posted on September 09, 2009From Walter Ewing at the Immigration Policy Center: It would seem that the Center for Immigration Studies has decided to jump on the talk-radio bandwagon of far-right commentators who are loudly attempting to derail substantive health care reform through fear-mongering and falsehoods ...
MARTINEZ BIDS FAREWELL AND URGES SENATE TO PASS IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on September 09, 2009A voice of reason in the GOP on immigration departs. He will be missed in this process. In the mean time, Florida's new Senator, George LeMieux, is certainly not sounding like a fighter for immigration reform. According to the Orlando Sentinel: LeMieux appears likely to steer clear of Martinez's controversial attempts to overhaul immigration law, which would include a path to citizenship for the undocumented...
OBAMA IMMIGRATION DETENTION HEAD LEAVING JOB
Posted on September 09, 2009Just a month after her appointment as the DHS official charged with overhauling the immigration detention system, Dora Schriro announced she is leaving the position to become the director of corrections for the City of New York. The New York Times reports that Schriro is leaving to care for a sick family member in New York...
REMINDER: E-VERIFY CONTRACTOR RULE TAKES EFFECT TODAY
Posted on September 08, 2009Effective today, certain employers with federal contracts must sign up to use the E-Verify system. The rule has been delayed several times as a result of litigation, but those efforts failed and hopes that the Obama Administration would reject the Bush Administration proposal were dashed this summer...
MPI: RECESSION IMPACTING GLOBAL MIGRATION PATTERNS
Posted on September 08, 2009The Migration Policy Institute has released a report outlining the impact of the global downturn on the movement of immigrants. Key findings include the following: ? The recession has dampened the movement of economic migrants to the major immigrant-receiving regions of the world...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: ALBERTO 'BETO' PEREZ: FITNESS CRAZE CREATOR
Posted on September 07, 2009Colombian immigrant Beto Perez is the creator of Zumba, an aerobics program set to Latin music, that has attracted a large following worldwide. The Orlando Sentinel reports Perez's rags to riches story in Florida.
SHERIFF JOE HARBORING HIGHER POLITICAL AMBITIONS
Posted on September 06, 2009The Phoenix Business Journal reports that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a hero of the anti-immigrant set, is considering running in next year's Arizona gubernatorial primary against incumbent Republican Governor Jan Brewer.
FLORIDA'S NEW SENATOR A BLANK SLATE ON IMMIGRATION
Posted on September 01, 2009Governor Charlie Cristhas named his aide George LeMieux to fill the seat of Senator Mel Martinez until next year's midterm elections when Crist will run for the seat. America's Voice warns that the new Senator will ignore immigration to his own peril.
REMINDER: TELECONFERENCE ON H-1B'S TOMORROW
Posted on September 01, 2009Ari, Lynn and I will be hosting our regular national teleconference tomorrow at 4 pm eastern/3 pm central/2 pm mountain/1 pm pacific. The subject will be H-1Bs and we'll be providing an overview of how the visa category works and also answering your questions...
MASSACHUSETTS CASE TO TEST FEDERAL GAY MARRIAGE STATUTE
Posted on August 31, 2009A carefully planned test challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the federal statute that bans federal recognition of same sex marriages, is taking shape in Massachusetts, one of a growing number of states to recognize marriage equality. The case could have important immigration implications because DOMA bars conferring immigration benefits to these couples...
TRIBUTES TO KENNEDY POUR IN FROM PRO-IMMIGRATION COMMUNITY
Posted on August 27, 2009A lot of nice tributes to Senator Kennedy recognizing his immigration achievements. Here are a few: Ted Kennedy's Greatest Accomplishment: He Created Americans - Dana Houle of Daily Kos talks about Kennedy's shepherding through the 1965 Immigration Act...
COLUMNIST: HONOR KENNEDY BY PASSING IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on August 27, 2009Fox News contributor and newspaper columnist Morton Kondracke talks about honoring Senator Kennedy by passing immigration reform in addition to health care, his two unfinished fights.
KENNEDY - THE PASSING OF IMMIGRANTS' MOST POWERFUL ADVOCATE
Posted on August 26, 2009Most of you have probably heard that Senator Ted Kennedy died earlier this morning. Kennedy, known as the Lion of the Senate, left a legacy in many areas of public policy. Almost from the beginning of his tenure, immigration was one of his passions. He was the sponsor of the 1965 Immigration Act which did away with an antiquated quota system that largely favored Western Europeans...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: ANDRES ALONSO - EDUCATOR
Posted on August 25, 2009Cuban-born Andres Alonso is the CEO of the Baltimore City Schools. Alonso graduated from Columbia University before going on to get a law degree and a doctorate in education at Harvard. Alonso was interviewed on NBC News last night about how federal stimulus money is helping to keep his school system running smoothly this year despite the economy...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: BARBARA PADILLA - SINGER
Posted on August 25, 2009There are a lot of great immigrant stories on this year's America's Got Talent show on NBC. One is Barbara Padilla's. The Mexican-born singer belted out a spectacular aria tonight. Ms. Padilla, a survivor of cancer and a mom in Houston, Texas, captivated the judges who all agreed she has star quality...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: EMMANUEL AGASSI - BOXER, COACH
Posted on August 24, 2009Iranian-born Emmanuel Agassi represented Iran as a boxer in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics before immigrating to the US in the mid-50s. He settled in Las Vegas and had four children, one of whom is tennis legend Andre Agassi. He's credited with molding his youngest child in to the tennis player he became and he wrote about that experience in his 2004 book The Agassi Story.
DHS PROVIDES ONLINE COMPLAINT SYSTEM FOR TRAVELERS EXPERIENCING ENTRY PROBLEMS
Posted on August 24, 2009I was pleased to learn about this web site. Here's how DHS describes the TRIP program: The Department of Homeland Security?s Travel Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP) is a single point of contact for individuals who have inquiries or seek resolution regarding difficulties they experienced during their travel screening at transportation hubs--like airports and train stations--or crossing U...
NY ATTORNEY GENERAL SHUTS DOWN THREE NOTARIO OPERATIONS; SUES THREE OTHERS
Posted on August 23, 2009The latest in the crackdown nationally on immigration services firms that are operating fraudulently. Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that his Office has shut down three New York companies providing unauthorized and fraudulent legal services to immigrant communities, in the latest stages of his ongoing investigation into immigration fraud...
WHITE HOUSE OFFERS FEW DETAILS ON MEETING TODAY
Posted on August 21, 2009Just a brief statement from Secretary Napolitano: Today?s meeting on comprehensive immigration reform was an important opportunity to hear from stakeholders and build on the significant time I?ve spent on the Hill meeting with members of Congress on this critical subject...
IMMIGRATION LAWYER AND NOTARIO SENTENCED IN VISA FRAUD CASES
Posted on August 20, 2009ICE has announced sentencing in two cases related to visa fraud. Houston immigration lawyer Kenneth Rothey has been sentenced to fourteen months in prison for money laundering and visa fraud. Rothey was convicted for his role in securing L-1 visas based on manufactured corporate relationships...
VOA JOURNALIST RELEASED
Posted on August 20, 2009The Washington Post reports that Rahman Bunairee, the reporter I've been writing about over the last few days, has now been released after demonstrating a credible fear of persecution. He will now be permitted to proceed with an asylum claim.
MORA V. ARPAIO: ACLU SUES SHERIFF JOE!
Posted on August 20, 2009Here's the press release from the defenders of liberty: The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Arizona filed a lawsuit today challenging the illegal arrest and detention of a U.S. citizen and a legal resident by Maricopa County Sheriff?s Office (MCSO) deputies...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: JENNIFER CARROLL - POTENTIAL US SENATOR
Posted on August 19, 2009The early retirement of US Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) has opened up an appointment opportunity for Governor Charlie Crist, himself a candidate for Martinez's seat. Crist will likely not appoint himself and a number of names are circulating for potential replacements...
WSJ: OBAMA CAN'T WAIT TOO LONG ON IMMIGRATION
Posted on August 19, 2009The Wall Street Journal makes the case that immigration reform needs to remain at the top of the President's priority list.
DHS SET TO INCREASE NUMBER OF EMPLOYER AUDITS
Posted on August 19, 2009The Wall Street Journal reports that DHS will "intensify" its enforcement efforts against employers around the US: John Morton, the new chief of U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, a unit of the Department of Homeland Security, said that the agency is set to increase the number of companies it will audit and systematically impose fines on violators...
DREAMER'S DEPORTATION ON HOLD
Posted on August 19, 2009I'm pleased to report that Herta, the girl who I wrote about the other day who was set to be deported today, has had a reprieve issued until November 9th. According to the ICE officer in charge of the case, there is a nine inch stack of letters on his desk urging DHS to exercise its discretion here...
PAKISTANI VOICE OF AMERICA JOURNALIST DETAINED AS WOULD BE ASYLUM APPLICANT
Posted on August 19, 2009McClatchy reports further details on the case: U.S. immigration officials questioned a Voice of America journalist Tuesday to determine whether he could apply for asylum based on a "credible fear" of being tortured or persecuted in his native Pakistan...
WHITE HOUSE HOSTING IMMIGRATION SUMMIT II
Posted on August 18, 2009Secretary Janet Napolitano is scheduled to host about 130 leaders from immigration advocacy, religious, business and law enforcement groups to discuss immigration reform plans. The meeting at the White House will take place on Thursday.
TELECONFERENCE REMINDER: E-VERIFY - THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
Posted on August 18, 2009Just a reminder that we'll have our latest free teleconference tomorrow afternoon at 4 pm eastern/3 pm central/2 pm mountain/1 pm pacific time. The subject will be E-Verify and we'll talk about how the system works and whether it's a good move for your organization to sign up or not...
ACLU DISCOVERS 11 UNREPORTED DEATHS AT ICE DETENTION FACILITIES
Posted on August 17, 2009From the American Civil Liberties Union: Prompted by an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit seeking previously unreleased documents related to the deaths of immigration detainees in U.S. custody, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials today revealed 11 deaths that have occurred at detention facilities since 2004 that the government had previously failed to publicly disclose...
CROOKED LAWYERS LIKELY TO BECOME A BIGGER PROBLEM AS IMMIGRATION REFORM NEARS
Posted on August 17, 2009The New York Times reports on an uptick in legal actions against less than honest attorneys who bilk clients needing immigration services. In my two decades in practice, I've come across a number of these cases. But they usually increase in number as people grow more desperate...
ONLINE COMMUNITY FIGHTS TO STOP DEPORTATION OF YOUNG WOMAN
Posted on August 15, 2009The latest example of people from around the country coming together to stop the deportation of a young person who would be a great candidate for the DREAM Act. She's set to be deported on August 19th and needs everyone's help. Here is the link to Herta's story...
VOICE OF AMERICA-SPONSORED JOURNALIST DETAINED BY ICE
Posted on August 15, 2009The Washington Post reports on a strange story pitting the State Department's Voice of America broadcast service with DHS' Immigration and Customs Enforcement. U.S. immigration officials have detained a Pakistani journalist employed by the U.S.-sponsored Voice of America news service who was hoping to find refuge in the United States after Islamic militants in Pakistan destroyed his house and threatened his life...
MARRIED COUPLE SEPARATED BY DOMA FIGHT TO BE REUNITED
Posted on August 15, 2009Stories like this are playing out across the US. President Obama campaigned saying he would fight to scrap the appalling Defense of Marriage Act. Hopefully, he will put this on his agenda soon.
SHERIFF JOE'S DEPARTMENT ARRESTS 44 IN RAID ON PAPER PLANT
Posted on August 15, 2009Phoenix sheriff Joe Arpaio is creating more controversy with a raid on a local paper company. The sheriff's office arrested 44 people at the Royal Paper Converting Company for employer sanctions violations. One has to wonder how DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano will react...
MAYORKAS CONFIRMED AS USCIS DIRECTOR
Posted on August 11, 2009Cuban-born Alejandro Mayorkas was confirmed Friday as the new director of USCIS. Not a lot is known about Mr. Mayorkas since he doesn't come from an immigration-related law or government background, but he appears to be very capable. His skills will be critical in turning around an agency that has had a lot of challenges over the decades and which will no doubt be transformed by immigration reform legislation.
OBAMA ANNOUNCEMENT KEEPS THE ACCELERATOR ON IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on August 11, 2009A few readers have posted links already to a statement made by President Obama at the North American leaders summit that immigration reform is a priority for early 2010. Some see that as a retreat from efforts to move the bill this year. But 2009 was not really realistic anyway not because the votes aren't there but because there is a very practical logistical problem of getting a bill done in just four months...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: OMRI CASSPI - BASKETBALL PLAYER
Posted on August 11, 2009It's not unusual for immigrant sports figures in the US to have big followings in their home countries. When Omri Casspi don's a Sacramento Kings NBA jersey this coming season, it will be extra special for millions of his fellow Israelis who are looking forward to seeing the first one of their countrymen to play in the NBA...
CORNYN TO OBAMA: MOVE IMMIGRATION FASTER
Posted on August 11, 2009Texas Republican Senator Jon Cornyn is publicly complaining that Senator Obama should finish immigration reform in 2009. That's an unexpected source of pressure and if it means Senator Cornyn is a full convert and plans on supporting a CIR bill, this is great news.
US CHAMBER SEEKS SUPREME COURT REVIEW OF ARIZONA EMPLOYER SANCTIONS LAW
Posted on August 10, 2009The US Chamber of Commerce is seeking a review by the nation's highest court of the Arizona law that calls for the revocation of business licenses for employers found to have knowingly hired illegally present immigrants and also mandates all employers in the state use E-Verify...
VISA DATA BUSTS MYTHS
Posted on August 10, 2009The antis regularly trumpet the argument that we need to slash visa numbers to protect jobs for Americans looking for work. But if employers are seeking to slash payrolls and immigrants were a source for cheap labor, shouldn't we see visa applications increasing? The numbers tell a stark story - visa applications in key categories are plummeting...
GRAHAM LIKELY TO REPLACE MCCAIN AS GOP CHAMPION OF IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on August 10, 2009South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has said many times in the past that the GOP needs to move back to the middle on immigration reform. He's putting his money where his mouth is and is leading the GOP's pro-immigration wing as they work behind the scenes shaping the bill likely to be introduced in the next few weeks...
PERM MANDAMUS CASE DECISION AND JUDGMENT
Posted on August 09, 2009Here are documents from the recent case I mentioned where the Department of Labor was ordered by a court to immediately process a PERM case that had been pending too long. Kumylkov decision - Kumalykov judgment -
ICE TARGETS ANOTHER DONUT COMPANY
Posted on August 08, 2009First Krispy Kreme. Now Shipley Donuts. Write your own punchline.
GOP'S EFFORTS TO COURT HISPANIC VOTERS DEALT BLOW BY MARTINEZ EARLY DEPARTURE
Posted on August 07, 2009The country's best known Hispanic GOP politician, Florida Senator Mel Martinez, announced this morning that he would not be returning to the Senate after the August recess ends. Martinez had already announced he was retiring in 2010 and it is not clear why he accelerated his departure...
TOP DHS OFFICIAL TO MEET HUNGER STRIKERS IN NEW ORLEANS
Posted on August 07, 2009From a press release from the New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice: Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano has dispatched her top detention advisor to Basile, Louisiana to meet with detainees who have monitored conditions and staged hunger strikes in the isolated ICE detention center during the last month...
TWO NOTARIOS INDICTED IN NEW YORK
Posted on August 07, 2009Unfortunately, there are lots of these characters ripping off innocent people around the country. Fortunately, prosecutors around the country are starting to act.
SHERIFF JOE UNDER THE GUN
Posted on August 06, 2009What's our little sheriff gonna do? His old nemesis Janet Napolitano has changed the rules for the 287(g) program that has allowed him to get on television A LOT. Now he's being told he can only be able to target actual criminals. But he's claiming that HE makes the law, not some legislators in DC.
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES PLANS TO REFORM ICE DETENTION SYSTEM
Posted on August 06, 2009Those of you who have been reading this blog awhile will recall the many posts I've written regarding major problems in the system of detention for immigrants facing potential deportation. Nina Bernstein of the New York Times reports this morning that the White House will enact a series of reforms designed to curb abuses...
PBS' FRONTLINE DOES POSTVILLE FOLLOW UP
Posted on August 05, 2009The longrunning news documentary show Frontline examines life in Guatemala for some of the immigrants deported as a result of the Postville, Iowa raid on a meatpacking plant.
CNN BLOCKS MEDIA MATTERS' DOBBS AD FROM RUNNING
Posted on August 05, 2009Well, I guess it's not really a surprise that CNN blinked and decided to block Media Matters ads criticizing Lou Dobbs from running on the network. What is more amusing is that they are so freaked out about the ads that they're apparently pressuring local stations not to air the ads either.
MCCAIN: GOP NEEDS TO COURT HISPANICS IF IT HOPES TO EVER REGAIN MAJORITY STATUS
Posted on August 03, 2009Politico reports on a McCain interview with CNN. The other interesting takeaway is McCain's indication that he'll stand firm in insisting on a guest worker program in the comprehensive immigration reform bill if he's going to work for its passage. I hope he's successful in that effort...
AP: DOBBS BECOMING PUBLICITY NIGHTMARE FOR CNN
Posted on August 03, 2009Here's another article discussing the embarrassment that is CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight. I don't need to elaborate on that, but the more interesting part of this article is a discussion of why CNN is so reluctant to fire him. Apparently, it's more fear of Dobbs going to Fox and worry about Dobbs using his radio show to bash CNN...
LABOR DEPARTMENT LOSES IN SUIT TO FORCE FASTER DECISION ON PERM CASE
Posted on August 03, 2009This is a case of national importance and I'm proud to say it was argued by lawyers Mikiel Davids and Karen Weinstock from my law firm's Atlanta office. Here's the press release: Siskind Susser Immigration Lawyers attorneys Mikiel Davids and Karen Weinstock of the Atlanta office recently won a landmark case in the U...
REMINDER: WEDNESDAY NATIONAL TELECONFERENCE ON PRIORITY DATES AND THE STATE DEPARTMENT VISA BULLETIN
Posted on August 03, 2009Just a reminder that my colleagues Lynn Susser, Ari Sauer and I will have the next in our regular free teleconferences on immigration topics. This call's theme is "Deciphering the State Department Visa Bulletin" and we'll be explaining how priority dates work, what the various terms mean, and how to interpret movements month to month...
MEDIA MATTERS DOBBS AD TO AIR TOMORROW
Posted on August 03, 2009Here's what you'll see when you watch Dobbs' show tomorrow:
GROUPS PROTEST CONDITIONS AT LOUISIANA DETENTION FACILITY
Posted on August 03, 2009The ACLU has sent a letter to DHS Secretary Napolitano describing a hunger strike and claiming that solitary confinement is being used to punish detained immigrants who complain: According to the letter, "[n]ot only have a large number of detainees filed grievances and requested meetings with jail and ICE staff, detainees have launched four hunger strikes to obtain basic necessities like soap, toilet paper, communication with their families, and information about their legal cases...
ICE WRONGFULLY DETAINED US CITIZEN FOR MORE THAN A YEAR
Posted on August 02, 2009This sounds unbelievable. But to differing extents, it has happened to hundreds of Americans.
CORRUPTION CASES PLAGUE THE IMMIGRATION WORLD
Posted on August 02, 2009Government officials as well as immigration lawyers have been implicated in several recent corruption cases. Here are some of the cases that have made news in the last few days: USDOJ announced a ICE official was sentenced in a kickback scheme involving a confidential informant in an alien smuggling investigation...
LIKE IMPORTED OIL? YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE DEPENDING ON IMPORTED FOOD
Posted on August 02, 2009The antis will tell you that if we could only get rid of cheap foreign workers, Americans would be lining up to take the jobs. An article this past week in the Wall Street Journal shows a different reality. The piece focuses on the dairy industry which is completely dependent on immigrant labor even in a major recession...
ILRC ISSUES RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A LEGALIZATION PROGRAM
Posted on August 02, 2009The folks at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center have come up with a list of recommendations for legislators as they craft a legalization plan in the upcoming comprehensive immigration reform debate: 1. Date of entry requirement for eligibility: The required date of entry should be as close to the date of introduction of the bills as possible...
ANTIS PEDDLING MYTH THAT ILLEGALLY PRESENT IMMIGRANTS WILL BE INCLUDED IN HEALTH CARE PLAN
Posted on August 02, 2009Opponents of health care reform efforts have accused the President and Democrats in Congress of including millions of illegally present immigrants in proposals to expand health insurance coverage. Whether one thinks that including such individuals is good or bad, the fact is that only lawfully present immigrants will be eligible for inclusion in the various proposals being considered in Congress...
JOE KLEIN: DOBBS A "PUBLIC EMBARRASSMENT"
Posted on August 02, 2009Harsh words from the senior columnist for Time Magazine:Lou Dobbs continues to make a fool of himself, of CNN and of Time Warner, which owns this blog and pays my salary. When Jim DeMint, the oh-so-conservative Senator from South Carolina, says that the Obama birth certificate isn't an issue, and when electronic copies of the birth certificate have been produced--and certified--by the state of Hawaii, one wonders why Dobbs keeps flogging this...
SENATORS INTRODUCE BILL TO REFORM IMMIGRATION DETENTION STANDARDS
Posted on August 01, 2009Senators Menendez (D-NJ), Kennedy (D-MA) and Gillibrand (D-NY) have introduced a pair of bills designed to address major problems in the immigration detention system. The ACLU describes the twin pieces of legislation:Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today introduced two bills crucial to fixing major problems with U...
MEDIA MATTERS TO RUN ADS CRITICIZING DOBBS DURING DOBBS' SHOW
Posted on August 01, 2009An interesting new development in the Dobbs' birther controversy.
MEDIA MATTERS LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO SANCTION DOBBS
Posted on July 30, 2009Media Matters has created a web site entited Dobbsconpiracy.com and is urging the public to send letters from the site to CNN president Joel Klein to complain about Dobbs' latest controversy - his questioning of the immigration status of President Obama...
SENATE COMMITTEE VOTES TO REPLACE REAL ID LAW
Posted on July 30, 2009The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted today to scrap the controversial REAL ID law which will require states to begin implementing tough new standardized technology requirements for drivers licenses in just a few months...
THE GOP'S LAST CHANCE
Posted on July 29, 2009The fact that the GOP has no clear plan to win the election next year other than hoping President Obama fails so miserably that people will feel no choice but to vote Republican became more apparent yesterday. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 13 to 6 to confirm Judge Sotomayor as the next Supreme Court Justice...
TAHA DEPORTATION BLOCKED
Posted on July 28, 2009Really good news. A few days ago I wrote about efforts to stop the deportation of Walter Taha, a young man who entered the US at the age of two who would be an ideal DREAM Act recipient. Citizen Orange reports that the flurry of calls, faxes and emails about Walter were enough to convince them to defer Walter's deportation to allow him to attend college.
HARVARD GRAD FACES DEPORTATION
Posted on July 28, 2009The Boston Globe reports on another case of a potential DREAM Act recipient facing deportation. Alan, the individual who is the subject of the story, is the son of Mexican migrant laborers, came to the US as an infant and his academic success has been an inspiration to children in his neighborhood...
ICE DETAINEE DIES IN CUSTODY
Posted on July 27, 2009From ICE: COLUMBIA, S.C. - On July 24, 2009, Vera Stojka, a 55-year-old Czech Republic national being held on immigration violations, passed away at the Columbia Care Regional Center (CCRC) in Columbia, South Carolina. The preliminary cause of death is cardiac arrest...
BORDER PATROL AGENT KILLED IN LINE OF DUTY
Posted on July 25, 2009While I think the US immigration system is badly broken and we are wasting tremendous resources fighting the wrong battles, I have a deep respect for those in the US Border Patrol who are acting in service to their country and often putting their safety at risk...
FEDS INVESTIGATING BORDER PATROL AGENTS' RACIST WEB POSTING
Posted on July 25, 2009One of the comments on my post earlier today about the killed Border Patrol agent seemed pretty harsh - accusing most BP agents of being restrictionists with bad motives. I still think that's harsh and most Border Patrol agents are honestly out to do the necessary job of protecting our country's borders...
NATION'S TOP COPS AGREE ON NEED FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on July 25, 2009If the restrictionists were really on the right side of the law and order argument, wouldn't they havelaw enforcement on their side? Sheriff Joe does not a movement make.Funny how Phoenix was chosen for the location of this forum. From the Arizona Republic: Some of the nation's top police officers on Wednesday called upon Congress to promptly adopt an immigration-reform measure, saying local law-enforcement agencies across America are struggling to deal with crime and confusion caused by a broken system...
NEW PEW STUDY SHOWS IMMIGRATION FROM MEXICO HAS DECLINED SHARPLY
Posted on July 25, 2009The study is consistent with other reports. Pew blames the decline on the recession while others blame tougher enforcement. I've stated before that I think it is a combination of the two. Pew also reports that the number of Mexicans returning home has not changed significantly.
SECRETARY OF COMMERCE ADMITS VISA PROCESSING AT CONSULATES IS HURTING THE COUNTRY
Posted on July 25, 2009US Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, the former Governor of Washington state, was recently speaking to the Washington International Trade Association in his home state had some frank words about the impact visa denials and delays are having on US commerce: As we seek to open up markets for American companies abroad, the United States must also acknowledge that she has room to improve when it comes to increasing the secure flow of goods, services and people across our own borders...
STOP THE DEPORTATION OF WALTER TAHA
Posted on July 25, 2009On Wednesday, Walter Taha, a recent graduate of Dickenson High School in Jersey City, New Jersey, is scheduled to be deported to Bangladesh. The last time Walter was in Bangladesh, he was two years old. His family filed an asylum petition shortly after he arrived and the case was only denied last year...
DOBBS SUGGESTS OBAMA IS UNDOCUMENTED
Posted on July 24, 2009There's a phrase in American pop culture - "jump the shark" that seems appropriate about now. I guess in the facing rapidly declining ratings, Mr. Dobbs is resorting to even more extreme rhetoric and has now joined the "birthers" desperately peddling one of the sillier conspiracy theories out there...
HOUSE HOLDS HEARING ON E-VERIFY
Posted on July 24, 2009The Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization and Procurement of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing yesterday entitled "E-Verify: Challenges and Opportunities." The witnesses included Angelo Amador from the US Chamber of Commerce, David Rust from the Social Security Administration, Gerri Ratliff from USCIS and Jena Baker McNeill from the conservative Heritage Foundation...
TESTIMONY FROM THIS WEEK'S SENATE HEARING ON E-VERIFY
Posted on July 23, 2009Here are the prepared statements from last Tuesday's Senate Immigration Subcommittee hearing on E-Verify. Congressman Luis Gutierrez Michael Aytes of USCIS James Ziglar of the Migration Policy Institute Lynden Melmed of Berry, Appleman and Leiden Senator Russ Feingold
THE NEW FAULT LINE IN IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on July 21, 2009My friend Tamar Jacoby of ImmigrationWorksUSA joins former Mexican Foreign Secretary Jorge Castenada in writing in today's Washington Post about what could be the biggest area of division in the coming reform debate - how to handle future workers. Some are proposing to put off discussions of this topic until the economy improves or to set up a commission to deal with the issue...
BUSH JUSTICE DEPARTMENT BLACKLISTED SAME-SEX IMMIGRATION RIGHTS GROUPS
Posted on July 21, 2009Wow. From The Washington Blade: Applicants for Justice Department internships and honors programs may have been rejected based on their membership in LGBT groups during the Bush administration, the Blade has learned. Numerous applicants were denied entry to the department?s Honors Program and the summer intern program starting in 2006 because of their previous work in what were deemed to be liberal organizations, according to an internal Justice Department report issued last year...
GET READY FOR THE THRILLA' THIS FALL
Posted on July 21, 2009It has now been nearly two years since the Senate voted to kill an immigration reform package and the hopes of ever dealing with the mess that is our immigration system seemed over for the foreseeable future. But a lot has changed in 23 months. Most importantly, there was an election in 2008 that dramatically changed the politics on the issue...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: SHANTANU NARAYEN - ADOBE CEO
Posted on July 20, 2009I've been a devoted fan of Adobe products for years - particularly Acrobat - and I'm happy to honor Adobe's CEO Shantanu Narayen. The Indian-born Narayen has a familiar story - he came to the US to pursue an advanced degree and then he was recruited by a tech company to stay...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: DIANE VON FURSTENBERG - FASHION DESIGNER
Posted on July 20, 2009Belgian-born Diane Von Furstenberg was profiled yesterday in the New York Times as an example of a fashion designer who is actually doing well despite the economic downturn. Furstenberg has been a major figure in American fashion design for nearly four decades...
DHS TO CONSIDER ASYLUM PETITIONS BY BATTERED WOMEN
Posted on July 16, 2009The New York Times reports on an important change in the country's asylum policies: Moving cautiously, the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately recommend asylum for the Mexican woman, who is identified in the court papers only by her initials as L...
TELECONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT: TEN TIPS FOR I-9 COMPLIANCE - 07/22 @ 4 EST
Posted on July 16, 2009My colleagues and I will be having another one of our free, informal (but hopefully informative) roundtable teleconferences on July 22nd at 4 eastern/3 central/2 mountain/1 pacific time. Lynn, Ari and I will be chatting about I-9 compliance which seems to be a good topic particularly in light of 1...
BLOG MAY BE DOWN TONIGHT
Posted on July 15, 2009The folks at ILW who host my blog are doing some maintenance tonight and have told site visitors: On July 15, 2009, Wednesday evening, starting at 6pm ET we are moving our website to a new server. This will enable us to significantly improve our underlying technology infrastructure...
DEPORTATIONS OF CRIMINAL IMMIGRANTS UP 17% IN LAST YEAR
Posted on July 15, 2009More evidence that the US has gained greater control in immigration enforcement. Some immigration centrists have argued that we need to do a better job enforcing existing immigration laws before legalizing millions of unlawfully present immigrants and there is growing evidence that this has happened...
CANADA TO REQUIRE VISAS FROM MEXICANS
Posted on July 15, 2009Actually, I'm surprised visa free travel has been permitted, but that's about to end. The cause is apparently a substantial increase in refugee claims from our southern neighbor's nationals. For those who think we're moving to a so-called North American union, this is one more step in the other direction...
SHERIFF JOE TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: I AM THE LAW
Posted on July 14, 2009Well, that's basically what he's saying. The other day I reported that DHS is signing new 287(g) agreements with 11 more police departments. I didn't report a good piece of news, however, and that is that DHS will now only allow local law enforcement agencies to use 287(g) in connection with people committing real crimes (e...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: GADI AMIT - PRODUCT DESIGNER
Posted on July 11, 2009Israeli-born Gadi Amit heads up New Deal Design, a design firm that has collaborated with many of America's best known companies to bring products that are not only memorable for their functions, but also for their look. His latest creation is the Fitbit, a fitness product that is like a pedometer on steroids...
DHS ANNOUNCES 11 NEW POLICE DEPARTMENTS SIGN UP FOR 287(G) AGREEMENTS
Posted on July 10, 2009I'd really like to see some data from the cities that have already signed up to see which ones actually had their crime rates decline after going this route. I'm pretty doubtful. Here is the list from DHS: Gwinnett (GA) County Sheriff?s Department Monmouth (NJ) County Sheriff?s Office Rhode Island Department of Corrections Delaware Department of Corrections ? Sussex Correctional Institution Houston Police Department City of Mesquite (NV) Police Department Morristown (NJ) Police Department City of Mesa (AZ) Police Department Florence (AZ) Police Department Guilford County (NC) Sheriff's Office Charleston County (SC) Sheriff's Office
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: RAY YOUNG - GM CFO
Posted on July 10, 2009General Motors emerged from bankruptcy today and promises it is the beginning of a new age for America's leading car manufacturer. Canadian-born Ray Young, the child of Chinese immigrants, is one of the folks leading GM to what will hopefully be a return to profitability...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: JOHN CATSIMATIDIS - ENTREPRENEUR
Posted on July 09, 2009Greek-born billionaire John Catsimatidis is the owner of Red Apple Group, a firm that owns hundreds of grocery stores and gas stations as well as aviation and property interests. He is also the owner of the Hellenic Times newspaper and is actively involved in various philanthropies relating to his Greek roots.
VITTER AMENDMENT PASSES
Posted on July 09, 2009Earlier today, I mentioned this provision which would bar DHS from using funds to delay or rescind the no-match rule. The amendment passed by a voice vote, but in consulting with a knowledgeable source, it seems likely that the amendment will not have much affect...
SENATE MAY CONSIDER BILL TO RE-IMPOSE NO-MATCH RULE
Posted on July 09, 2009Just hours after the announcement that DHS will seek to rescind the controversial social security no-match rule, the Senate may consider an amendment to the DHS spending bill that has been introduced by Senator David Vitter (R-LA). Amendment 1375 would bar DHS from revoking the rule and require its implementation...
SCHUMER PROMISES TO INTRODUCE IMMIGRATION BILL BY LABOR DAY
Posted on July 09, 2009The Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the Immigration Subcommittee Chairman, told the AP yesterday that he plans on introducing a comprehensive immigration reform bill before Labor Day and then hopes to have a debate on the bill in the fall. Schumer hinted that advocates for highly skilled immigrants are likely to be happier with the bill than those pushing for guest worker reforms for lesser skilled workers and that business and the unions have yet to reach a compromise...
PRO-IMMIGRATION AMENDMENT ADDED TO SENATE'S DHS SPENDING BILL
Posted on July 09, 2009Great news! The Hatch widows bill (which removes the requirement that a couple must have been married for two years before a US citizen dies) passed and included in that bill were provisions extending the religious worker green card program and the Conrad 30 J-1 physician waiver program...
SESSIONS AMENDMENT PASSES
Posted on July 08, 2009Senator Schumer attempted to table the amendment which would permanently reauthorize the E-Verify program and codify the contractor rule (see post below). That effort failed by a 44 to 53 margin and the amendment then passed by voice vote. The underlying bill already had a three year extension for E-Verify...
WHITE HOUSE MAKES DECISIONS ON E-VERIFY AND NO-MATCH RULES
Posted on July 08, 2009In short, the E-Verify federal contractor rule lives and the no-match rule dies. The E-Verify contractor rule and the no-match rules were released in the tail end of the Bush Administration. The E-Verify rule would require most major federal contractors to use E-Verify in order to qualify for their contracts...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: OMID KORDESTANI - IT PIONEER
Posted on July 08, 2009Iranian-born Omid Kordestani was Google's 12th employee and he is one of the key executives who has turned the firm in to one of the world's most successful companies. I just read an interesting article about Kordestani where he credits his immigrant background for much of his success and urges America's young people to adapt an immigrant mindset: ?To keep an edge, I must think and act like an immigrant...
URGENT ACTION ALERT - CALL CONGRESS NOW
Posted on July 08, 2009A message Rick Stolz at ReformImmigrationFORAmerica.org: I know this is very short notice, but I am writing to ask you to make a phone call before 10:30 EST today. We just learned last night that an important vote is likely to happen in the Senate this morning...
COUNCIL OF FOREIGN RELATIONS: QUOTAS ON SKILLED IMMIGRANTS HURTING NATION'S SECURITY
Posted on July 08, 2009From the Washington Post: A bipartisan task force will recommend today that the United States overhaul its immigration system in response to national security concerns, saying that the country should end strict quotas on work-based immigrant visas to maintain its scientific, technological and military edge...
GERMAN COURT DETERMINES DEMJANJUK DEPORTATION FROM US WAS PROPER
Posted on July 08, 2009John Demjanjuk's efforts to avoid a war crimes trial were dealt another blow yesterday as a German court refused to entertain a motion that his deportation from the US violated his human rights.
KRISPY KREME THE LATEST TARGET OF DHS I-9 INVESTIGATION
Posted on July 08, 2009This proves they're serious! If Secretary Napolitano wanted to show the average American that her agency is serious about cracking down on employers' lax compliance with immigration laws, she couldn't have chosen a more loved company than donut maker Krispy Kreme.
DOBBS PLUMMETS IN RATINGS
Posted on July 08, 2009Opinion polling data clearly shows a public ready for immigration reform. But for those who don't believe those polls, a much more interesting one may be the polling of television viewers - the ratings. And they are telling a very interesting story. Lou Dobbs - the public face of the anti-immigrants - is getting CREAMED in the ratings and is no longer the CNN darling who could say the most ridiculous things on the air and get away with them because he delivered the numbers...
IMMIGRATION REFORM - IF OBAMA WANTS IT TO HAPPEN, IT'S GONNA HAPPEN
Posted on July 07, 2009At least that's what an analysis by the folks at CQ Politics suggests. Obama has a 92% success rate in getting bills he supports through Congress - one of the highest rates ever recorded.
REMINDER: TELECONFERENCE TOMORROW (7/8) ON STUDENT VISA ISSUES
Posted on July 07, 2009Tomorrow afternoon we'll have the fourth program in our free teleconference series. We'll be covering student visa issues and will have guests Connie Burk, a nationally known international student adviser at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center and Arda Beskardes, an immigration lawyer and former international student adviser...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: CHARLES SIMONYI - MS OFFICE'S FATHER AND SPACE TOURIST
Posted on July 05, 2009If you typed a document using Microsoft Word today or sent an email using Outlook, you owe a little hat tip to the Hungarian-born Charles Simonyi who oversaw the creation of Microsoft's Office suite of applications. He earned a fortune at Microsoft and is now a billionaire...
FRANKEN LIKELY TO BE A YES VOTE FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on July 02, 2009America's Voice does the research.
POLL: MOST GOP VOTERS SUPPORT IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on July 02, 2009A new poll from Benenson Strategy Group (commissioned by America's Voice), has a surprising finding - the vast majority of self-identified GOP voters support immigration reform. The poll found the following: When asked whether they support Congress passing ?comprehensive immigration reform,? without hearing details about what the plan includes, 63% of Republicans said yes and 22% said no...
MORE TOP POLICE CHIEFS BACK IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on July 02, 2009From the NY Times: Seeking to inject their views into the revived debate over immigration overhaul, several big-city police chiefs urged Congress on Wednesday to draft a new policy that improves public safety by bringing illegal immigrants out of the shadows...
OMBUDSMAN ISSUES ANNUAL REPORT
Posted on July 01, 2009The USCIS Ombudsman's office has released its 2009 report to Congress. It's got a lot of analysis of problems at USCIS, some interesting statistics not previously available and a number of useful recommendations.
ICE LAUNCHES SHOCK AND AWE I-9 AUDIT CAMPAIGN
Posted on July 01, 2009If anyone doubts Secretary Napolitano was serious when she talked about ICE going after employers through investigations, they'll likely be convinced by this press release: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is launching a bold, new audit initiative today by issuing Notices of Inspection (NOls) to 652 businesses nationwide - which is more than ICE issued throughout all of last fiscal year...
FRIEDMAN: INVENT, INVENT, INVENT
Posted on June 29, 2009Thomas Friedman has a great op-ed piece in today's NY TImes that emphasizes that the US is going to have to innovate like crazy if we're going to emerge from this recession on top. And a liberal skilled immigration policy has got to be part of our strategy...
WASHINGTON STATE GRANTING IN STATE TUITION TO NIV KIDS
Posted on June 28, 2009I just had a consultation this week with an engineer working on an H-1B for several years with one of America's best known companies. He's got an unusual skill set that makes him highly valuable to the company and he is a good candidate for eventually getting a green card, something he and his company both want to see happen...
HIV TRAVEL BAN CLOSE TO ENDING
Posted on June 27, 2009This is a long time coming and wonderful news for many who have been waiting for years for this. The Office of Management and Budget has completed review of a regulation which will remove HIV from the list of communicable diseases barring admission to the US...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: LAKSHMANAN SATHYAVAGISWARAN - CORONER TO THE STARS
Posted on June 26, 2009Okay, I was trying to come up with some kind of Michael Jackson tie in for my IOTD and nothing was coming to mind until a helpful reader suggested Dr. Sathyavagiswaran, an Indian native, who is the Chief Medical Examiner at the Los Angeles Coroner's office...
6/25 PODCAST NOW AVAILABLE
Posted on June 26, 2009Yesterday's call was our first all Q & A session. I'll be posting the announcement for our July 8th program shortly. Powered by Podbean.com
USCIS BEGINS ACCEPTING CONCURRENTLY FILED I-360/I-485 PETITIONS FOR RELIGIOUS WORKERS
Posted on June 26, 2009Good news for religious workers who now get the same benefit available to I-140 applicants. USCIS Notice June 26, 2009 Court Notice to Pending I-360s Applicants Ruiz-Diaz v. U.S., No. C07-1881RSL (W.D. Wash.) Introduction On June 11, 2009, the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington issued an order in Ruiz-Diaz v...
MCCAIN: REPUBLICAN SUPPORT FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM WILL BE TIED TO GUEST WORKERS
Posted on June 26, 2009I'm glad we've got Republicans like John McCain who told President Obama at yesterday's White House meeting that he needs to stand up to labor unions and support an expansion of guest worker programs. If we're going to avoid a re-run of 1986's legalization program - which dealt with the problem of illegal immigrants in the US in the 80s but failed to have any impact on stopping the flow of illegal immigration that has brought us to where we are now - then we need to have a guest worker program that will meet the needs of employers and...
THE ELEMENTS OF THE 2009 IMMIGRATION REFORM BILL
Posted on June 26, 2009We don't have actual legislation to examine yet, but Senator Schumer has outlined the major components of the bill he'll introduce: 1. Illegal immigration is wrong, and a primary goal of comprehensive immigration reform must be to dramatically curtail future illegal immigration...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: BENNY FEILHABER - MEMBER OF OUR NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM
Posted on June 25, 2009The US Men's national soccer team had one of the greatest victories in its history today when it knocked off Spain, the #1 team in the world, at the Confederations Cup in South Africa. There are two immigrants on the roster for the US - Freddy Adu (who I honored after he competed with the US Olympic team last year)...
REID REPEATS CLAIM THAT HE'S GOT THE VOTES TO PASS IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on June 25, 2009The problem isn't the head count. It's finding floor time, according to the Senate Majority Leader.
RAHM: IMMIGRATION REFORM STILL LACKING NEEDED VOTES
Posted on June 25, 2009From Lynn Sweet at the Chicago Tribune: Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) is among the small group of members of Congress meeting with President Obama Thursday afternoon to discuss immigration reform. Don't get your hopes up if you are tracking the issue. The meeting is happening, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill...
WHO IS AT THE WHITE HOUSE MEETING
Posted on June 25, 2009In case you were interested: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 25, 2009 BACKGROUND ON MEETING WITH MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO DISCUSS IMMIGRATION REFORM: The President and the Vice President will meet with a small group of Senate and House members from both sides of the aisle and both sides of the issue to discuss immigration reform in the State Dining Room at 2:00 PM today...
PELOSI: HOUSE READY TO MOVE ON IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on June 25, 2009Speaker Pelosi wouldn't commit to a date, but said that when the Senate is finished with CIR, she was prepared to move the bill in the House.
DETAILS EMERGE ON CITIZEN'S DEPORTATION
Posted on June 25, 2009Still hard to fathom how this sort of thing happens, particularly when the citizen is trying to fight it. Hat tip to Dan Kowalski for the link.
OBAMA'S STATEMENT ON IMMIGRATION SUMMIT
Posted on June 25, 2009Sounding good: THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release June 25, 2009 REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AFTER MEETING WITH MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO DISCUSS IMMIGRATION State Dining Room 3:17 P...
WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THE PRESIDENT?
Posted on June 24, 2009Tomorrow President Obama meets with members of Congress to talk about kick starting immigration reform efforts. I'm curious about what readers would tell President Obama if they were in the room. Share in the comments section what you would tell the President and members of Congress about immigration reform efforts this year.
REMINDER: FREE TELECONFERENCE - YOUR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Posted on June 23, 2009Just a reminder that we'll be having one of our regular teleconferences later this week. Here are the details: Thursday, June 25 4 pm Eastern/3 pm Central/2 pm/1 pm Pacific Siskind Susser National Teleconference - General Q&A We've received a wide array of immigration-related questions over the past few weeks...
DEM IMMIGRATION PLAN TO BE OUTLINED THIS WEEK
Posted on June 23, 2009Roll Call reports that Immigration Subcommittee Chair Senator Schumer will deliver an address tomorrow outlining the major points of an immigration reform bill and Senator Cornyn, the ranking Republican on the Committee, is calling on President Obma to push to deal with the bill this year...
COMMISSION REPORT CRITICIZES WORK SITE RAIDS
Posted on June 21, 2009The United Food and Commercial Workers Union International, one of the country's major unions, was upset about how raids were conducted in 2006 at Swift meatpacking plants around the country. So they did something about it. They created a commission of experts to hold hearings about work site raids and this week they released their findings in a report entitled Raids on Workers: Destroying our Rights...
WILL CONGRESS PROVIDE SAFE HAVEN FOR IRANIAN STUDENTS IN US
Posted on June 21, 2009My friend Angelo Paparelli writes about something that is probably on the minds of many immigration lawyers who've been practicing for more than a few years - will Congress and the President treat Iranian students in the US the same as we did for Chinese students 20 years ago when young people in that country rose up against an oppressive government? Harken back to the fallout from the Chinese Communists' quelling of democracy with tanks and bloodshed in Tieneman Square...
MIXED SIGNALS FROM WHITE HOUSE ON CIR
Posted on June 20, 2009From an email from America's Voice: Washington, DC ? Today, President Obama spoke at the Esperanza National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC. The following is a statement from Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America?s Voice: ?President Obama?s remarks today at the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast show, once again, that he has a sophisticated understanding of how the elements of comprehensive immigration reform work together to solve this problem...
HOW AN IMMIGRANT'S INVENTION IS HELPING TO BRING FREEDOM TO IRAN
Posted on June 20, 2009It's hard not to watch in amazement as protesters from across Iran are managing to get videos and pictures out to the world of their fight for liberty despite the fact that most journalists are barred from reporting. They are using communications technology as their weapon against the regime and the camera phone has been at the center of it all...
DREAM ACT GRADUATIONS THIS COMING TUESDAY
Posted on June 18, 2009I received the following note from a reader and wanted to pass it on to all of you since this is a really important cause: I was reading your blog and I wanted to let you know about a DREAM Act event happening next Tuesday. The United We Dream Coalition and Dreamactivist...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: RICHARD WOLFFE - JOURNALIST
Posted on June 18, 2009Tonight I saw British-born journalist Richard Wolffe on both CNN and on his regular spot with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC. He's usually commenting on the day's American political news, but he's now also promoting his new book, Renegade. Wolffe covered the entire campaign of President Obama, from the day he announced he was running until Election Day 2008...
SCHUMER SUGGESTING NATIONAL WORKER ID CARD
Posted on June 17, 2009From the LA Times: A ?forgery-proof? worker ID card, secured with biometric data such as fingerprints, is a favored idea of the new chairman of the Senate immigration subcommittee, Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). Schumer, who will lead the effort to craft the Senate?s comprehensive immigration reform legislation, has publicly espoused the card as the best way to ensure that all workers are authorized...
HATE CRIMES AGAINST IMMIGRANTS SURGE
Posted on June 17, 2009A report from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund shows that hate crimes targeting Hispanics rose 40% from 2003 to 2007. The report can be found here. Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies, the think tank of the anti-immigration Federation for American Immigration Reform told the Washington Post: Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which was criticized in the LCCREF report, said it was "another salvo against free speech by the pro-amnesty coalition ...
WE THE PEOPLE
Posted on June 16, 2009Thank you NBC's Today Show for bringing to the American people this story of one family caught up in the immigration debate. Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
LATEST HATE KILLER ALLEGEDLY CONNECTED TO FAIR
Posted on June 16, 2009With all of the publicity recently received in the cases of the abortion clinic and Holocaust museum slayings, I'm surprised that this crime has not been getting a lot of publicity: An outspoken anti-immigration activist who was at the center of a series of violent crimes in Everett earlier this year now stands accused of the home-invasion killings of an Arizona man and his 9-year-old daughter...
WHITE HOUSE SUMMIT BACK ON THE CALENDAR
Posted on June 15, 2009I had breakfast today with a few advocates and an Obama Administration official who noted that the immigration summit will now be held on June 25th. Encouraging. I also learned that the current expectation is that the immigration reform bill will likely start in the Senate and that Senator Reid is hoping for reform legislation to be considered in the fall.
REAL NIGHTMARE
Posted on June 15, 2009The American Civil Liberties Union has a web site devoted to opposing the Real ID Act of 2005, the federal law that requires states to spend vast sums of money to revamp drivers licenses to make it impossible for illegally present immigrants to get the documents...
ICE DEPORTS US CITIZEN (AGAIN)
Posted on June 15, 2009It's amazing that this happened. It's more amazing that this has happened several times. And it is most amazing that the media rarely covers these stories. Shouldn't this be the lead on the Today Show? This is not the most sympathetic lady in the world, but exile is pretty serious.
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: FILEMON LOPEZ - THE VOICE OF THE OAXACA PEOPLE
Posted on June 15, 2009The New York Times recently ran a profile piece on radio show host Filemon Lopez who broadcasts in native languages from a station in Fresno, California to poor Mixtec Indians from Mexico working in agriculture in central California. Lopez, a beneficiary of the 1986 legalization program, has been in the US for 30 years...
HOUSE PASSES BILL ALLOWING FOR VIDEO CONFERENCING INTERVIEWS AT US CONSULATES
Posted on June 14, 2009Welcome news from the US Travel Association: H.R. 2410, the "Foreign Relations Authorization Act, FY 2010-2011", includes a provision that authorizes the Secretary of State to conduct a two-year pilot program to use secure, remote videoconferencing technology to conduct tourist visa interviews...
IMMIGRANTS OF THE DAY: IMMIGRANTS ON THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Posted on June 14, 2009The LA Lakers are perhaps the most popular basketball team in the world, but, of course, my loyalty is to the hometown Memphis Grizzlies. One of my favorite players, Spaniard Pau Gausol, left Memphis for the Lakers last year and I still like the guy. Here are the Lakers international team members: Pau Gasol - Forward/Center - Spain Didier Ilunga-Mbenga - Center - Congo Sasha Vujacic - Guard - Slovenia Sun Yue - Guard - China
IMMIGRANTS OF THE DAY: IMMIGRANTS ON THE ORLANDO MAGIC
Posted on June 14, 2009While hockey is better known for having immigrant players, the NBA has its fair share of global stars. The finals going on this week pit the Orlando Magic against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Orlando Magic has four international players: Adonal Foyle - Center - St...
HAVE SOCIAL SECURITY NO-MATCH LETTERS RETURNED?
Posted on June 13, 2009Just days after the Obama Administration told a court it needed another month to decide how it plans to proceed with respect to litigation seeking to kill DHS' proposed no-match rule, the LA Times reports No immigration agents descended on Overhill Farms, a major food-processing plant in Vernon...
TOP COPS: IMMIGRATION REFORM WILL PROMOTE LAW AND ORDER
Posted on June 13, 2009I've heard from police before who believe that turning local law enforcement officers into immigration enforcement officers discourages people from reporting crimes and distracts the police from doing their jobs. They also know that illegally present immigrants are targets for criminals and this drives up the crime rate for everyone as crime is rarely contained in one community...
WHITE HOUSE ASKS FOR MY TIME ON NO-MATCH RULE
Posted on June 12, 2009The White House has has asked for an additional month to formulate its position on the Social Security no-match rule that was released by President Bush but which has been held up in litigation. Assuming the judge agrees, the extension will mean that the President will have until July 10th to respond to a motion for summary judgment in the case.
MAYOR OF TEXAS TOWN LEAVES COUNTRY TO BE WITH SAME-SEX PARTNER
Posted on June 12, 2009This is a decision thousands of couples face every year in America thanks to the anachronistic Defense of Marriage Act: The mayor of this West Texas sheep ranching town offered a stunning explanation when he suddenly resigned: He was in love with a man who was an illegal immigrant and had gone to Mexico...
JUDGE ORDERS USCIS ACCEPT CONCURRENTLY FILED I-360/I-485 RELIGIOUS WORKER PETITIONS
Posted on June 12, 2009Expect USCIS to appeal this one. Thanks to Dan Kowalski for posting. Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io
KAFKAESQUE
Posted on June 12, 2009The Wall Street Journal reports from India on the obscenely long security clearance delays affecting a number of scientists and engineers who thought they were going back to India for short visits. Instead, they're waiting on clearances based on their being experts in a critical technologies area...
WHITE HOUSE DELAYS IMMIGRATION SUMMIT AGAIN
Posted on June 12, 2009This time no date for a future meeting.
REID: WE'VE GOT THE VOTES NOW FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on June 11, 2009Harry Reid says he's got 60 votes to support an immigration reform bill. That's a pretty confident tone he's taking and I hope he's right. And for those of you who say that you don't have provisions in the bill helping your group - particularly employment immigration advocates - I'll remind you that the immigration reform bill is what is standing in the way of many other bills moving forward...
PODCAST: H-1B AND GREEN CARD PORTABILITY UNDER AC21
Posted on June 11, 2009For those of you unable to participate in yesterday's call, here is our recording. Powered by Podbean.com We're about to get some expensive new phone equipment that should make the overall sound quality somewhat better.
ANNOUNCEMENT: 6/25 TELECONFERENCE - QUESTION AND ANSWER HOUR
Posted on June 11, 2009I'm getting a lot of good feedback from you on the conference calls. We're going to do our next one on June 25th at 4 pm eastern/3 pm central/2 pm mountain/1 pm pacific and the hour will be devoted exclusively to answering audience questions. As always, the calls are free...
IMMIGRANTS OF THE DAY: IMMIGRANTS ON THE DETROIT RED WINGS
Posted on June 10, 2009The other team competing in this year's Stanley Cup (which will end on Friday) is the great Detroit Red Wings organization. And they've got a mostly immigrant roster as well including these players: Daniel Cleary - Canada Pavel Datsyuk - Russia Aaron Downey - Canada Kris Draper - Sweden Jonathan Ericsson - Finland iValtteri Filppula - Finland Johan Franzen - Sweden Darren Helm - Sweden Tomas Holmstrom - Sweden Marian Hossa ? Czech Republic Jiri Hudler - Czech Republic Jakub Kindl ? Czech Republic Tomas Kopecky - Sweden Niklas Kronwall - Sweden
JULY VISA BULLETIN - MORE DISMAL NEWS
Posted on June 10, 2009The July Visa Bulletin is out and there is really no good news. And there's terrible news for Mexicans and Chinese applicants. The Mexican 1st and 3rd family categories move backwards nearly two years. And Chinese EB-2 employment immigration applicants now join the Indian misery as priority dates retrogress five years (!) to January 2000...
DHS TARGETS BUDDHIST MONK
Posted on June 10, 2009The Wall Street Journal reports on a really interesting case (being argued by my old friend and fellow blogger Angelo Paparelli). USCIS has denied a green card application for a Buddhist monk who took an oath of poverty and is living in a monastery. USCIS considers the monk to be illegally employed despite the fact that he receives no income...
REMINDER: FREE TELECONFERENCE TODAY ON PORTABILITY
Posted on June 10, 2009If you're on an H-1B visa or have an employment-based green card application pending, today's call may be useful to you. We'll be talking about how to use the AC21 law to move quickly to a new employer and also how to extend your H-1B status to make sure you remain legal and work authorized through the final processing of your green card...
SEE "THE LEAST OF THESE" ONLINE
Posted on June 10, 2009The documentary about kids in ICE custody is actually available online.
IS IT RIGHT TO DETAIN CHILDREN?
Posted on June 09, 2009My friend John Lamb in Nashville blogs today about ICE's Hutto detention center where whole families are jailed while awaiting deportation. I'm reminded of Charles Dickens' tales of debtors prisons in Victorian England where "lawbreakers" who violated British laws relating to debt were jailed right along with their spouses and children...
IMMIGRANTS OF THE DAY: IMMIGRANTS ON THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
Posted on June 09, 2009Congrats to the Pittsburgh Penguins on competing in the 2009 Stanley Cup! The team, like all teams in the National Hockey League, is chock full of immigrant players. They include the following: Craig Adams - Right Wing - Canada (born in Brunei) Philippe Boucher - Canada Matt Cooke - Canada Sidney Crosby - Canada Pascal Dupuis - Canada Ruslan Fedotenko - Ukraine Marc-Andre Fleury - Canada Mathieu Garon - Canada Eric Godard - Canada Sergei Gonchar - Russia Dustin Jeffrey - Canada ? Tyler Kennedy - Canada ? Chris Kunitz - Canada Kristopher Letang - Canada Evgeni Malkin - Russia...
DHS FINALLY GETTING MESSAGE ON WIDOWS
Posted on June 09, 2009Maybe the 60 Minutes story from a few months ago is making a difference. DHS finally agreed today to show some humanity and not proceed for two year with deporting widows and widowers of US citizens (often American soldiers who die in combat) who only were denied green cards because their spouses died before USCIS could finish processing their cases...
REID: WE'LL DO IMMIGRATION REFORM THIS YEAR
Posted on June 08, 2009Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is promising immigration will be one of three major legislative priorities this year (the other two are health care reform and energy). It's not news that Senator Reid wants to push for reform this year, but it is the first time I've seen him be this specific on where immigration reform ranks on the priorities list.
WHITE HOUSE IMMIGRATION MEETING PUSHED BACK TO JUNE 17TH
Posted on June 04, 2009I got nervous when I heard the meeting was canceled due to a scheduling conflict. But at least it's just a week.
FITZ: UNCHECKED IMMIGRANT BASHING IN THE GOP MAKES IMMIGRATION REFORM MORE LIKELY
Posted on June 04, 2009Marshall Fitz, advocacy director at the American Immigration Lawyers Association's annual meeting in Las Vegas that Democrats could see passing immigration reform as a chance to lock down the allegiance of the surging Hispanic electorate in the coming years...
REFORM IMMIGRATION FOR AMERICA
Posted on June 04, 2009A coalition of hundreds of organizations has come together for the worthy cause of pushing for fair immigration reform this year. RIFA has kicked off this effort with a summit in Washington leading up to next week's White House gathering on immigration...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: BERNARD WOLFSDORF - IMMIGRATION LAWYER
Posted on June 04, 2009My old friend Bernie Wolfsdorf is at this moment addressing the American Immigration Lawyers Association where he takes the helm as the 10,000+ organization's newest president. Bernie came here 30 years ago from South Africa and has built up a great immigration practice in Southern California...
BLOGGING FROM VEGAS
Posted on June 04, 2009I'm at the annual meeting of the American Immigration Lawyers Association here in Las Vegas. I'll be speaking tomorrow and will be reporting interesting news that I learn in the sessions and in the halls. I also wanted to let folks know that ILW.com, the host of this blog, is at AILA, but not in the exhibit hall...
POLL: 80% OF AMERICANS READY FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on June 03, 2009Despite regular statements by pundits that lawmakers can't move an immigration reform bill in the middle of a recession, several recent polls show the public not only is ready, but that support for reform has actually been INCREASING. I've blogged on recent ABC/Washington Post and CBS/NY Times polls and yesterday I listened in on a media conference call hosted by the pro-immigration advocacy group America's Voice that featured Pete Brodnitz of the firm Benenson Strategy Group and Celinda Lake of Lake Research Partners who discussed their recent public opinion research...
BIG NEWS: AG HOLDER REVERSES MUKASEY RIGHT TO COUNSEL DECISION
Posted on June 03, 2009Kudos to President Obama and his Attorney General for standing up for the Constitution.
REMINDER: PASSPORTS NOW NEEDED FOR US CITIZENS AT LAND AND SEA PORTS
Posted on June 02, 2009This one has been year's in the making and delayed numerous times. My guess is that a lot of people are still going to be completely surprised.
JUNE 10TH TELECON WILL COVER PORTABILITY
Posted on June 02, 2009Our Next Scheduled Teleconference/Podcast: June 10 4 pm Eastern/3 pm Central/2 pm/1 pm Pacific Siskind Susser National Teleconference - "The ABCs of Portability: The Ins & Outs of AC21's, H-1Bs, and Adjustment Porting Rules" Greg Siskind & Lynn Susser chat about moving jobs if you're in H-1B status or have a green card application pending...
MEXICO'S FED SAYS REMITTANCES OFF 20%
Posted on June 02, 2009More evidence suggesting that the number of illegally present immigrants from Mexico is declining rapidly.
TANCREDO AIDE PLEADS GUILTY IN BIZARRE RACIST ATTACK
Posted on June 02, 2009From Talking Points Memo: Remember how Tom Tancredo went on CNN last week and called Sonia Sotomayor a racist, accusing her falsely of being a member of a "Latino KKK"? Well, if racism so offends him, how does he explain this? On July 7, 2007, at approximately 7:15 p...
SENATE TO HAVE HEARING ON UNITING AMERICAN FAMILIES ACT
Posted on June 02, 2009Kudos to Senator Chuck Schumer for raising the profile of a serious issue - discrimination against same-sex partners in US immigration law. Even as several states are enacting marriage equality laws and anti-discrimination laws are moving forward around the US (including here in my home town of Memphis), the antiquated Defense of Marriage Act prevents USCIS from treating these families fairly...
NFAP REPORT: TIME FOR A NEW, PORTABLE WORK VISA
Posted on June 01, 2009The National Foundation for American Policy has issued a report calling for the creation of a new work visa that would be based on bilateral treaties and allow workers to move freely between employers. The program would only be available to countries that closely cooperate with the US in enforcing our immigration laws...
H-1B WORKERS STUCK IN SECURITY CLEARANCE DELAYS
Posted on June 01, 2009American Public Radio's Marketplace reports.
E-VERIFY CONTRACTOR DELAY COURT DOCUMENT
Posted on May 31, 2009Thanks to my friend Dan Kowalski for forwarding this to me. And good luck to Dan on his new position as a partner with Reina, Bates and Kowalski! E-Verify Contractor postponement -
BUY MY BOOK!
Posted on May 29, 2009OK, I don't normally plug my immigration practice or otherwise make this a commercial space. But it so happens that I've written a book that is co-published by ILW, the host of this blog, so this is Kosher. The new book is called the Employer's Immigration Compliance Desk Reference and it is co-published with SHRM - The Society for Human Resource Management...
ANTI-IMMIGRANT TANCREDO SAYS SOTOMAYOR PART OF LATINO KKK
Posted on May 29, 2009One more nail in the coffin when it comes to the GOP's chances of getting Hispanic voters to consider returning to the party.
MAYOR BLOOMBERG, CORPORATE LEADERS ENDORSE DREAM ACT
Posted on May 29, 2009Hizzoner and major companies like American Express, Macy's and Pfizer sign on to a letter urging Congress to move this bill. It's a similar letter to one signed recently by Microsoft. Bloomberg endorses DREAM Act -
E-VERIFY CONTRACTOR REG PUSHED BACK UNTIL 9/08
Posted on May 29, 2009The litigants in the case over the legality of the E-Verify federal contractor have agreed to push back the effective date of the rule from June 30th until September 8th to give the new Administration more time to review the case and determine its position...
PODCAST: IMMIGRATION CONSEQUENCES OF LAYOFFS AND DOWNSIZING
Posted on May 28, 2009Powered by Podbean.com As promised, here is the audio link to this week's teleconference. Hope you find it helpful. Soon we'll try and jazz it up with some theme music, etc.
THE HILL: DEMS CLOSE TO FILIBUSTER-PROOF MAJORITY ON DREAM ACT
Posted on May 27, 2009Senator Durbin says the votes are there, but that a vote on DREAM is not likely right now. Instead, the legislation is seen as an attractive item to include in a comprehensive reform bill.
TEA LEAF READING: DOES SOTOMAYOR NOMINATION HURT CHANCES FOR IMMIGRATION BILL? OR HELP?
Posted on May 27, 2009The pundits are already punditizing about something folks in my own office were debating yesterday - what the nomination of the first Hispanic to the US Supreme Court means for immigration reform this year. One camp believes that Obama has "thrown a bone" to the growing, increasingly powerful Hispanic community by nominating Sotomayor and it is intended to soften the blow when he decides to pass on pushing immigration reform this year...
REMINDER: TELECON ON IMMIGRATION ISSUES IN LAYOFF SITUATION
Posted on May 26, 2009Just a reminder that I'll be hosting a teleconference today on the immigration consequences of downsizing and layoffs. If you have been laid off, are worried about being laid off or are an HR employee with a company or institution that may have to downsize and you're worried about how to not make a bad situation worse for your foreign employees, you'll want to listen to the call...
RESOLUTION WOULD RECOGNIZE S.S. ST. LOUIS TRAGEDY
Posted on May 26, 2009The Senate has passed a resolution sponsored by Senators Kohl (D-WI), Voinovich (R-OH), Brownback (R-KS) and Wyden (D-OR) that recognizes June 6th, 1939 as one of the most shameful days in American immigration history. The text of S. Res. 111 tells the story: Recognizing June 6, 2009, as the 70th anniversary of the tragic date when the M...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: KARAN KLER - IMMIGRANT ADVOCATE
Posted on May 25, 2009Indian-born Karan Kler is the executive director of the Coachella Valley Immigration Service and Assistance Inc., a nonprofit immigration counseling agency in Palm Springs, California. My friend Dan Kowalski forwarded me a really nice article on Karan's journey from an influential business and military family in India to heading a non-profit agency assisting immigrants in need.
BORDER ARRESTS AT LOWEST LEVEL IN OVER 30 YEARS
Posted on May 22, 2009The Washington Post reports on data released from the Border Patrol. Among the findings: - The number of Border Patrol agents has more than doubled from 9,000 in 2001 to 20,000 this year - 626 miles of the border with Mexico are now covered by fencing and vehicle barriers which is about half of the planned coverage on the 2000 mile border...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: CARLOS SANTANA - ROCK ICON
Posted on May 21, 2009Mexican-born Carlos Santana is definitely music royalty in his adopted country. He was inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and Rolling Stone Magazine listed him as #15 on the 100 greatest musical artists of all time. Tonight he was on American Idol's finale show...
NURSE BILL INTRODUCED IN HOUSE
Posted on May 21, 2009H.R. 2536 has been introduced in the House by Congressman Robert Wexler. This is the first step in what will be a very tough process. The bill's text has not yet been released, but it is going to be highly similar to H.R. 5924, introduced last year. The bill would allocate 20,000 additional green cards per year for three years for nurses and physical therapists...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: RAM RAMANATHAN - CLIMATE SCIENTIST
Posted on May 21, 2009I was listening to BBC News last night and heard an interview with a scientist described as one of the world's leading experts on climate change. That scientist is Indian-born Ram Ramanathan, Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric and Climate Sciences at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California in San Diego...
SCHUMER: BORDERS NOW SECURE ENOUGH TO MOVE ON IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on May 21, 2009There are basically two big camps in the immigration reform debate and each has subsidiary interests that diverge in important respects from the bigger grou[. There is the pro-immigration camp which generally favors immigration reform proposals introduced over the last few years...
OBAMA SETS DATE FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM WHITE HOUSE "CONVERSATION"
Posted on May 20, 2009President Obama recently mentioned plans for holding a White House meeting to discuss proceeding with immigration reform legislation. And now he is keeping that promise by setting June 8th, just three weeks from now, to hold the meeting. According to Politico: "The meeting will be an opportunity to launch a policy conversation that we hope will be able to start a debate that will take place in Congress later in the year," the official, who asked not to be named, said...
5/26 TELECONFERENCE - THE IMMIGRATION CONSEQUENCES OF A LAY OFF
Posted on May 20, 2009My next teleconference will be on Tuesday, May 26th at 4 pm eastern/3 pm central/2 pm mountain/1 pm pacific and will provide information for immigrant workers who have been or may be laid off as well as employers trying to figure out how to handle a potential lay off of an immigrant worker...
STUDY: NO LINK BETWEEN IMMIGRATION AND UNEMPLOYMENT
Posted on May 20, 2009From Business Week: A report released on Tuesday makes the case that increased immigration is not a cause of increased unemployment in the U.S. The study, ?The Unemployment Disconnect: Untying the Knot,? was issued by the Immigration Policy Center, the research arm of the American Immigration Law Foundation, an association of immigration lawyers that generally supports pro-immigration policies...
HISPANIC VOTERS GETTING READY TO REWARD/PUNISH OVER IMMIGRATION ISSUE
Posted on May 19, 2009A new poll from Bendixen and Associates of 800 Hispanic voters across the country reveals an electorate that is leaning Democratic, but one that is very concerned over how the Democrats are handling the immigration issue. The poll, commissioned by immigration advocacy group America's Voice, also shows Hispanic voters plan on voting in greater numbers than the general public in 2010.
WILL DEMOCRATS FUMBLE THE BALL WITH LATINO VOTERS?
Posted on May 19, 2009A nice contrast to the Politico article I just posted about the GOP is this piece from Ruben Navarette on how the Democrats could be right back where they were before 2006 with Latino voters if they fail to deliver on immigration reform.
CAN THE GOP BRING BACK LATINO VOTERS?
Posted on May 19, 2009Politico has a great article discussing the abandonment of the GOP by Hispanic voters and how some in the Republican Party are trying to bring them back.
A TESTIMONY TO SURVIVAL
Posted on May 18, 2009One of my long-time paralegals at Siskind Susser, PC is Esther Schacther Fridman. Esther, who grew up here in Memphis, is the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors. In 2005, she married Benny Fridman, an Israeli who was on a work visa in Memphis at the time...
IMMIGRATION HUMOR: HOMER SIMPSON STARTS THE SPRINGFIELD MINUTEMEN
Posted on May 18, 2009The Simpsons' writers have taken on the subject of immigration before, but last night's episode "Coming to Homerica" was entirely devoted to the subject and is absolutely hysterical. When the neighboring Norweigian dominated town of Ogdenville's economy collapses after supplying Krusty the clown with tainted barley for his new veggie burger, the town's citizens start moving to Springield looking for work...
CONSERVATIVE HERITAGE FOUNDATION ENDORSES H-1B PROGRAM
Posted on May 17, 2009Interesting commentary from a source that has recently taken other anti-immigrant positions.
WADHWA: FREE H-1B WORKERS
Posted on May 17, 2009Vivek Wadhwa always has interesting things to say about skilled immigrants. Here is a snippet from his recent Business Week commentary: I have a suggestion for Grassley and Durbin. Pass a bill to deregulate the H-1B visa program, and eliminate the restrictions that make it difficult for H-1B holders to travel, switch jobs, or get promoted...
ROUNDUP
Posted on May 17, 2009Sorry for the light posting over the last few days. I spoke Friday to the Chicago Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and spoke yesterday in Houston at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists about physician immigration rules...
AMERICA'S VOICE DRAWS LINK BETWEEN SESSIONS AND WHITE SUPREMACIST GROUPS
Posted on May 14, 2009Sam Stein of the liberal Huffington Post has written a column reporting on pro-immigration America's Voice and their criticism of the Republicans new leader on the Senate Immigration Subcommittee. According to Stein: There is no evidence that Sessions holds some of the most extreme views of the individuals and groups he has associated with, and they have no large-scale financial links to the senator...
H-1B VISAS BARELY GETTING USED
Posted on May 14, 2009USCIS has announced that for the third week in a row, the H-1B count sits at 45,000 out of 65,000 used. I presume this means that just a few hundred cases are being processed per week which is simply remarkable when you consider that there has been a lottery for H-1B numbers for the past two years...
JUDGE WOOD WOULD BE A FRIEND FOR IMMIGRATION ON THE SUPREME COURT
Posted on May 12, 2009A lot of people influenced my decision to become an immigration lawyer nearly two decades ago, but one person that certainly deserves mention is Judge Diane Wood. I first took her international trade law class at the University of Chicago and it turned out to be my best grade in law school...
IMMIGRATION AMID A RECESSION
Posted on May 11, 2009Business Week has kicked off a series of stories exploring the impact of immigrants in today's economy with a fairly balanced piece discussing the arguments for and against increased work-based immigrant visa numbers. Worth the read.
JOHN DEMJANJUK DEPORTED
Posted on May 11, 2009Ten years ago I gave a lecture on Demjanjuk case and reported that this accused Nazi war criminal was on the verge of being deported. At that point, his case was already almost a decade old. He has since pursued every avenue of appeal - some I didn't know were possible - and managed to remain in this country all these years...
WEDNESDAY TELECONFERENCE DETAILS
Posted on May 11, 2009As I mentioned Friday,I'm going to be hosting regular teleconferences to discuss the latest immigration news, answer listener questions and interview invited guests. The first call will be this Wednesday at 4 pm eastern/3 pm central/2 pm mountain/1 pm pacific time...
STATUE OF LIBERTY CROWN TO REOPEN ON JULY 4TH
Posted on May 10, 2009This is a good omen. It seems that immigration restrictions really started to get worse around 9/11 which is also when the crown of Lady Liberty, America's symbol of our commitment to a generous immigration policy, was closed to the public.
NAPOLITANO: USCIS TO FOCUS ON GOING AFTER H-1B VIOLATORS
Posted on May 08, 2009Computerworld, which has been the media outlet of choice for the protectionist crowd, reports on one subject addressed by DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano during her testimony this week. Napolitano told the Senate Judiciary Committee that USCIS is stepping up enforcement in the H-1B program...
JUNE VISA BULLETIN REVEALS TERRIBLE NEWS FOR EB-2 INDIANS
Posted on May 08, 2009The EB-2 category for Indian nationals has retrogressed four years and will be set at January 1, 2000 for applications received beginning June 1st. If you are from China, the backlog is five years less - February 15, 2005. And if you are from any other country in the world, there is no wait at all...
NATIONAL TELECONFERENCE NEXT WEDNESDAY
Posted on May 08, 2009I've been planning this for a while, but have been distracted by other projects. But given the angst surrounding the new Visa Bulletin as well as everything else in the news, now sounds like a good time to begin. Starting next Wednesday at 4 pm eastern/3 pm central, I'll be hosting a regular (and free) national teleconference that will give me a chance to talk about what's in the news regarding immigration and also discuss questions and topics that folks request...
NAPOLITANO ENDORSES DREAM ACT
Posted on May 07, 2009In a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee today, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano discussed the DREAM Act when answering a question from Illinois Senator Richard Durbin: DURBIN: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Madam Secretary, thanks for being here. As a former governor of a border state, the story I'm about to tell you may sound familiar...
WILL 2009 BE DIFFERENT FOR CIR?
Posted on May 07, 2009My friend Tamar Jacoby has an excellent editorial in today's Los Angeles Times providing an overview of the current political landscape for comprehensive immigration reform: The problem: Left and right not only frame their arguments differently, they also disagree on matters of substance...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: RENU KHATOR - UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT
Posted on May 06, 2009Indian-born Renu Khator is the president of the University of Houston and the first Indian immigrant to head a major research university. Khator received a Ph.D. in political science and public administration from Purdue University and then went on to spend 20 years rising through the administration ranks at the University of South Florida...
IMMIGRANTS OF THE DAY: THE KLEIZA FAMILY - ARTISTS AND AN ATHLETE
Posted on May 05, 2009I am fortunate enough to have a pretty good arts and sports immigration practice. I've met a lot of really talented people from both fields over the years. I can't say I remember a family that has had members who have achieved as much as the Kleiza family, originally from Lithuania...
SESSIONS BECOMES CHIEF REPUBLICAN ON JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
Posted on May 04, 2009Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama will become the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee under which the Immigration Subcommittee is included. Sessions has been one of the Senate's most vocal opponents of immigration reform. Sessions may only be in for the remainder of this Congress and then he is expected to pursue the ranking position on the Budget Committee...
ABC POLL SHOWS PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR LEGALIZATION OF IMMIGRANTS INCREASING
Posted on May 04, 2009On the heels of the CBS/New York TImes poll showing substantial support for legalizing illegally present immigrants, a new ABC News/Washington Post poll shows similar strong support.
SISKIND'S IMMIGRATION BULLETIN - 4 MAY 2009
Posted on May 04, 2009Some of you who visit my web site may know I've been publishing a newsletter on immigration law online for the last 15 years, making it, to the best of my knowledge, the oldest online law firm newsletter. The newsletter is distributed by email as well...
SUPREME COURT RULES ICE GOING TOO FAR IN USING IDENTITY THEFT CHARGES IN IMMIGRATION PROSECUTIONS
Posted on May 04, 2009From the NY Times: The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Monday that the federal government has been going too far in using identity-theft laws to prosecute undocumented workers who use fake identification to get and hold jobs. In limiting the use of a law enacted in 2004 that has become a favorite weapon of the authorities who go after illegal immigrants, the justices said that to use it, a prosecutor must be able to show that a defendant knew that the identification he used actually belonged to another person...
DESPITE ECONOMY, MOST AMERICANS STILL IN FAVOR OF LEGALIZATION OF IMMIGRANTS
Posted on May 03, 2009The New York Times published a poll this week that only 30% of Americans would like to see the twelve million illegally present immigrants in the US deported. And 65% would like to see them legalized either on a temporary basis or given a path to eventual citizenship...
SCHUMER: IMMIGRATION REFORM WILL HAPPEN THIS YEAR
Posted on May 03, 2009Interesting. The Chair of the Senate's Immigration Subcommittee is sounding pretty confident that an immigration plan will be signed by the President before 2009 is over.
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: MARIO MOLINA - PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR
Posted on May 02, 2009President Obama has selected three foreign-born scholars to serve on his Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). The first of the three immigrants on PCAST is Mario Molina. Professor Molina, a Mexican native, is the winner of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: AHMED ZEWAIL - PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR
Posted on May 02, 2009The third of three immigrants on the the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology is Professor Ahmed Zewail, the winner of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Dr. Zewail is a professor of Chemistry and Physics at Caltech and is the Director of Caltech's Physical Biology Center...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: BARBARA SCHAAL - PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR
Posted on May 02, 2009The second of three immigrants on the the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology is German-born Barbara Schaal. Professor Schaal teaches biology at Washington University in St. Louis and is the first woman to ever hold the position of Vice President of the National Academy of Sciences...
OBAMA PROMISES TO PUSH FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM THIS YEAR
Posted on May 01, 2009Congrats to President Obama on his first 100 days in office. And well done on keeping immigration reform on the front burner. During his prime time press conference last night, the President had this to say about immigration reform: Okay. Lori Montenegro...
ARE WE PLAYING WITH FIRE WHEN IT COMES TO NURSING IMMIGRATION
Posted on May 01, 2009Very shortly, Congress will consider legislation that could allow 60,000 foreign nurses to come to the US. We face a shortage that will approach a million by the end of the next decade. On a daily basis, the lack of nurses is a serious problem, but not so noticeable to the typical American...
MIGRATION POLICY INSTITUTE REVIEWS E-VERIFY
Posted on May 01, 2009This is a pretty thoughtful analysis that discusses the good and bad points of E-Verify, looks at how the mandatory E-Verify program is going in Arizona and discusses proposals to improve the electronic employment verification system. Definitely worth the read if you're following this topic.
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: RICHARD WEBBY - FLU FIGHTER
Posted on May 01, 2009As the swine flu maybe pandemic dominates the news and immigrants are being falsely blamed by demagogues on the airwaves, its nice to hear about an immigrant who is helping to save us all from this bug. Dr. Richard Webby, a New Zealand native is right here in my home town of Memphis leading the team at the world renown St...
WHITE HOUSE GEARING UP FOR EMPLOYER IMMIGRATION COMPLIANCE CRACKDOWN
Posted on April 30, 2009The New York Times reports that tomorrow Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be sending instructions to agents in field offices aimed at changing their enforcement focus from work site raids that largely resulted in mass arrests of workers to I-9 audits and undercover investigations mainly targeting employers...
EXTREMISTS BLAMING IMMIGRANTS FOR FLU
Posted on April 30, 2009Sometimes you overplay your hand. Keith Olbermann's take is here.
WHY IS STATE DEPARTMENT USING IMMIGRATION POLICY TO PROVIDE FOREIGN AID TO CHINA?
Posted on April 29, 2009Some of you may know that I've been a co-author of the annually published LexisNexis' J-1 Visa Guidebook for the last dozen years. J-1 visas are used by a variety of folks including students and researchers training in a lot of fields. For many decades, J-1s from developing countries have been required to comply with a requirement to return to their home countries for two years following their J-1 time in the US...
PRO-IMMIGRATION SPECTER SWITCHING PARTIES
Posted on April 28, 2009Republican Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania has announced he is switching to the Democrats and will run for the Democratic nomination for Senate in the Keystone State next year. The Democrats will have a filibuster-proof sixty seats after Al Franken is soon sworn in...
US CONSULATES IN MEXICO LARGELY SHUT DOWN VISA OPERATIONS UNTIL MAY 6TH
Posted on April 28, 2009Your Snoutbreak update (hat tip to Jon Stewart). From the State Department's swine flu memo: The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City and all U.S. Consulates throughout the country have suspended all non-essential services to the public until May 6. Consular services for U...
TIMES: DOCTOR SHORTAGE THREATENS OBAMA'S HEALTH CARE REFORM PLANS
Posted on April 27, 2009Universal health care does not just mean that every American has health insurance. It also means that they have access to doctors and nurses. And right now there are dire shortages in both fields. I've posted articles here on the nurse shortage (and you can see a lot more of my writing on this subject at my health care immigration blog at http://www...
ICE STILL DEPORTING AMERICANS (AND NOT APOLOGIZING)
Posted on April 26, 2009More evidence that the agency is in serious need of reform.
NETHERLANDS CITIZENS TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR EXPEDITED ENTRY TO THE US
Posted on April 26, 2009This is encouraging. Here's how DHS says it will work: The Global Entry pilot project allows pilot participants expedited entry into the United States at any of the designated port locations by using automated kiosks located in the Federal Inspection Services (FIS) area of each airport...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS - YOUR NEW USCIS DIRECTOR
Posted on April 24, 2009The White House today announced the appointment of Cuban-born attorney Alejandro Maryorkas as the nation's new Director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Congratulations to Mr. Mayorkas on his appointment. President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals today: Alejandro Mayorkas, Nominee for Director, U...
SENATE SET TO START HEARINGS ON COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on April 24, 2009The Senate Immigration Subcommittee will kick off Congress' consideration of an immigration reform bill with a hearing on April 30th entitled "Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2009, Can We Do It and How?" Here is the lineup: Panel I J. Thomas Manger Chief of Police, Montgomery County, MD Director, Major Cities Chiefs Association Rockville, MD Alan Greenspan Economist Former Chairman Federal Reserve of the United States Washington, DC Dr...
POLL: AMERICANS NO LONGER ALL THAT CONCERNED ABOUT IMMIGRATION
Posted on April 22, 2009Rasmussen Reports indicates in their latest poll that only 5% of Americans list immigration reform as a top priority, a number that is consistent with historical numbers but is much reduced from the last few years when anti-immigration activists whipped up a wave of nativism not seen in many years in the US...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: LESLIE NIELSEN - ACTOR
Posted on April 21, 2009OK, I have to admit that I'm a closeted fan of 1970s disaster movies. You remember them - Earthquake, The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, Airport (and Airport '75, Airport '77, Airport '79: The Concorde(!)) and assorted lesser known films of that lost genre...
HEROIC TRANSLATOR DENIED VISA TO COME TO THE US
Posted on April 21, 2009Fox News (not generally known for sympathetic immigration coverage) reports on an Iraqi translator who has received multiple commendations for taking risks to save the lives of American soldiers. The translator has been denied a visa to live in the US, according to Fox, because of nonviolent actions he took to overthrow Saddam Hussein even though the US government was calling for regime change in Iraq at the time.
IMMIGRATION HUMOR: COLBERT INTERVIEWS SHERIFF JOE
Posted on April 21, 2009Did Sheriff Joe realize he was being made fun of the whole time? Favorite line - Congrats on your Pulitzer The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30cJoe Arpaiocolbertnation.com Colbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical HumorNASA Name Contest
TEA PARTY INTERVIEW WITH "MAN WHO SHOT TWO ILLEGALS BURGLARIZING HOME"
Posted on April 20, 2009Regardless of how you feel about illegal immigration, this story should make you concerned. The comments below the video clip raise a lot of interesting points.
REPORTERS WHO EXPOSED SHERIFF JOE WIN THE PULITZER PRIZE
Posted on April 20, 2009This is the highest honor awarded American journalists - the equivalent of an Oscar or an Olympic medal for a reporter. According to the Pulitzer web site: [The Pulitzer is] Awarded to Ryan Gabrielson and Paul Giblin of the East Valley Tribune, Mesa, Ariz...
21,000 H-1B VISAS STILL UNCLAIMED
Posted on April 20, 2009USCIS announced that as of today, only 44,000 of the 65,000 H-1B visas available for fiscal year 2010 have been claimed. That is only slightly fewer than they announced had been used at the end of the first week in April. So much for the argument that H-1Bs are cheap labor that employers use to displace more expensive American workers...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: GABY MORENO - COMPOSER
Posted on April 19, 2009I've started watching the new, very funny Parks and Recreation on NBC with former Saturday Night Live cast member Amy Poehler. The show has a very catchy theme song so I decided to go online to see if I could download it. It actually took a little digging around, but I found that it was written by Guatemalan-born Gaby Moreno...
1,000,000 PEOPLE NOW ON US TERROR WATCH LIST
Posted on April 19, 2009Is it then at all surprising that security clearances for visas are now taking many months more to get? How long will it take every living human on earth to be added to the list? At this pace, probably not all that long.
5 REASONS THE H-1B CAP WILL BE INCREASED
Posted on April 18, 2009Computerworld's Patrick Thibodeau's take.
BREAKING NEWS: E-VERIFY CONTRACTOR REGULATION POSTPONED AGAIN
Posted on April 16, 2009The government has agreed to postpone the rule's implementation date from next month to June 30, 2009. The rule is the subject of a lawsuit and the government has agreed to postpone while the suit is pending. Also, the Administration has yet to clearly state its position on the subject.
CAN WE GET RID OF THIS GUY ALREADY?
Posted on April 15, 2009Not everyone deserves to be in America. Nazi war criminal John Demjanjuk has managed to evade justice for two decades. He finally had his US citizenship stripped and was about to be deported this week and now his removal has been stayed again by the courts...
DRIVERS LICENSE RULES BECOME A HIDDEN TRAP FOR LEGAL IMMIGRANTS
Posted on April 14, 2009States around the country have been changing their drivers license rules to ensure that illegally present immigrants are not getting drivers licenses. Whether that is good or bad is certainly open to debate. But one of the unintended consequences of these changes is that many legal immigrants are having trouble getting drivers licenses either because the new laws are poorly written or because department of motor vehicle officials are not very knowledgeable about the immigration laws they are supposed to be interpreting...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: SUNIL GULATI - SOCCER BOSS/ECONOMICS PROFESSOR
Posted on April 14, 2009Indian-born Sunil Gulati is the President of the US Soccer Federation and is also an economics professor at Columbia University. And he is widely credited as the person most responsible for the growth in the popularity of soccer in the US over the last 30 years...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: JOHN MACDOUGALL - INVENTOR
Posted on April 14, 2009Today I honor Canadian-born John MacDougall as the fourth living immigrant inductee in to this year's National Inventor Hall of Fame. MacDougall invented a process of "ion bombardment" that is a critical technology used in circuitry in today's computers...
UNIONS ON BOARD FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM (SORT OF)
Posted on April 14, 2009The New York Times reports today that two major unions - the AFL-CIO and Win For Change - have agreed to support comprehensive immigration reform legislative efforts, something that should give a big boost to the President as he seeks to move an immigration bill through Congress...
WIDOW PENALTY STRUCK DOWN BY COURTS
Posted on April 14, 2009Woohoo!! This is wonderful news and many of you may remember my blogging on this several times in the past. 60 Minutes did a great story on this late last year. The long and short of it is that the 6th Circuit has held that a surviving spouse still is an immediate relative under the Immigration and Nationality Act...
EDUCATE, THEN EXILE
Posted on April 11, 2009The New York Times profiles how our nonsensical immigration policy has forced one of Google's rising stars to live in Canada. The part of the story interviewing Kim Berry of the Programmers Guild is really telling. Those who really understand why America has succeeded for generations and has produced the world's leading companies know that workers are not fungible...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: DOV FROHMAN-BENTCHKOWSKY - INVENTOR
Posted on April 10, 2009Dutch-born Dov Frohman-Bentchkowsky is one of the father's of "flash" memory, a critical technology in computing. He's our third 2009 inductee in to the Inventors Hall of Fame and his contribution is described as follows: Dov Frohman-Bentchkowsky invented a computer chip that could be erased by exposing it to ultraviolet light, then have new data written onto it...
MORE EVIDENCE THAT WHITE HOUSE IS SERIOUS ABOUT IMMIGRATION
Posted on April 10, 2009Thanks to reader Jim for sending this link from the Wall Street Journal. Rahm Emmanuel, the President's Chief of Staff, is now acting as one of the loudest advocates for immigration reform in the Obama Administration. Why is this important? Because Emmanuel, when he was a leader in the House of Representatives, was a vocal critic of the Democrats pursuing immigration reform and he previously was quoted as saying the Democrats should not take up immigration until a second presidential term...
MAY VISA BULLETIN IS OUT
Posted on April 09, 2009The major news is that the EB-3 category is now unavailable. That this was going to happen was noted in last month's Visa Bulletin so hopefully those of you able to file adjustment applications in March did so. Here is the summary of the changes: Family 1st - Advancement of worldwide, China and India numbers by five weeks to 22 AUG 2002...
NYT: OBAMA TO ROLL OUT IMMIGRATION PLAN BEGINNING NEXT MONTH
Posted on April 09, 2009Julia Preston of the New York Times reports in a front page story this morning that the White House is keeping its promise and will push hard for immigration reform this year. According to the story: While acknowledging that the recession makes the political battle more difficult, President Obama plans to begin addressing the country?s immigration system this year, including looking for a path for illegal immigrants to become legal, a senior administration official said on Wednesday...
H-1B CAP NOT HIT DURING INITIAL FILING PERIOD
Posted on April 08, 2009Sources are telling me that the H-1B cap was not hit during the initial five day filing period. This is the first time in several years the cap has not been hit immediately after it opened. I'll pass on more details as I learn them.
ANTI-IMMIGRANT DEFEATED IN ILLINOIS US HOUSE BY-ELECTION
Posted on April 08, 2009Yesterday, an election was held to fill the seat in the US House of Representatives of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel. Democratic Mike Quiqley easily defeated Republican Rosanna Pulido. What I found amazing is that the GOP actually nominated Ms...
IMMIGANT OF THE DAY: ALFRED CHO - INVENTOR
Posted on April 07, 2009If you used a cell phone today or listened to a CD, you probably have Alfred Cho to thank. The Chinese-born Cho was recently inducted in to the Inventors Hall of Fame which described his work as follows: Alfred Cho is considered ?the father of molecular beam epitaxy,? a process in which materials are layered atop one another ? atom-by-atom within a vacuum -- with great precision to form devices like transistors and light-emitting diodes, or lasers...
PHOENIX MAYOR: ARPAIO IS TO ARIZONA WHAT SHERIFF BULL CONNOR WAS TO ALABAMA
Posted on April 06, 2009That's an apt comparison. And for those not familiar with this guy, trust me, this is no compliment. By the way, for those Arpaio fans who will probably post something obnoxious in the comments, Connor had people who made identical arguments about African-Americans violated segregation laws...
CAT FIGHT!
Posted on April 06, 2009Well, it's the DHS equivalent. This story is SPECTACULAR! Jim Slaughter, an officer with DHS' Customs and Border Protection (he works at the San Luis, Arizona border station), has sued DHS' Immigration and Customs Enforcement for a raid on his home. Here's the story from KSWT, the CBS television affiliate in Yuma, Arizona: A Customs and Border Protection officer says the Department of Homeland Security violated his constitutional rights...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: CHIEN-MING WANG - BASEBALL PLAYER
Posted on April 04, 2009In honor of the New York Yankees move in to the new Yankees Stadium, today I honor Taiwanese-born Yankees' starting pitcher Chien-Ming Wang. Since becoming a Yankee, Wang has become a national hero in Taiwan and all of his games are televised in his native land...
JOB SHOP FINED $509,607 IN BACK WAGES TO H-1B WORKERS
Posted on April 04, 2009This is actually encouraging news if you support the H-1B program. Actually, headlines like this are the protectionists' worst nightmare. The antis argue that H-1B workers are paid less than their American counterparts. But they really aren't interested in the foreign workers being paid more...
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
Posted on April 04, 2009It may leave your head scratching, but many of the Programmers Guild whiners will try to convince you that they're actually the free traders. It reminds me of the brainwashing in Orwell's 1984 - "war is peace; freedom is slavery; ignorance is strength"...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: MARTIN "JOHN" ATALLA - INVENTOR
Posted on April 04, 2009Congrats to 2009 Inventors Hall of Fame inductee John Atalla, a native of Egypt. According to the Hall of Fame: John Atalla is one of the inventors of the metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), the most widely employed type of integrated circuit...
7 OF 16 INDUCTEES TO INVENTORS HALL OF FAME ARE IMMIGRANTS
Posted on April 04, 2009Every time you start to buy in to the protectionist nonsense espoused by the anti-H-1B crowd, remember these kinds of statistics. 25% of all of the jobs in Silicon Valley are at companies started by immigrants. 47% of scientists and engineers in the US with Ph...
MITT ROMNEY CHANGES TUNE ON IMMIGRATION
Posted on April 03, 2009Apparently, Mitt Romney finally read the memo that said you will NEVER become President if Hispanic Americans hate you. I warned him about this a year and a half ago. Romney told the Hill newspaper this about immigration: Romney believes that one way to attract more minorities to the GOP is to pass immigration reform before the next election, saying the issue becomes demagogued by both parties on the campaign trail...
MCCAIN TO PACK UP TOYS, GO HOME
Posted on April 03, 2009John McCain, upset that Hispanics didn't vote for him in large numbers, is telling immigration reform advocates not to expect him to take a lead in pushing for passage of a bill. Stay classy, Senator McCain. From the National Journal: John McCain sounds angry and frustrated that, despite the risks he took in pushing immigration reform, Hispanic voters flocked to Democrat Barack Obama in last year's presidential contest...
SHOOTER MAY BE A VIETNAMESE IMMIGRANT
Posted on April 03, 2009NBC is reporting the gunman may have been a Vietnamese immigrant named Jiverly Voong.
POLICE HAVE IDENTIFIED GUNMAN
Posted on April 03, 2009NBC is reporting that they have made an identification of the shooter in Binghampton but are not releasing it yet. Also, there are 13 dead including the gunman.
NBC: GUNMAN DEAD, LIKELY ACTED ALONE
Posted on April 03, 2009NBC's Pete Sessions says police now believe there was just a single gunman in the Binghampton shooting and has killed himself. Still no information on who he was.
BREAKING NEWS - GUNMAN GOES ON SHOOTING SPREE AT IMMIGRATION SERVICES OFFICE IN NEW YORK
Posted on April 03, 2009Not a lot of information yet about this horrible news. I don't know much about the American Civic Association in Binghampton, but they appear to be a charitable organization that provides assistance to immigrants and refugees. It appears that at least a dozen people were killed and it appears that dozens are being held hostage...
FIGHT NOTARIO FRAUD
Posted on April 03, 2009The American Bar Association has partnered with mega-firm Bryan Cave to educate the public on the criminal activities of "notarios" preying on immigrants around the US. Notarios use the name because in much of Latin America, a Notario is a high level professional carrying out the same kinds of duties that a lawyer in the US does...
DEAD AND FORGOTTEN
Posted on April 03, 2009The New York Times, which has rightly earned a reputation for providing perhaps the most in depth immigration coverage of any newspaper in the country, has an important story this morning on how Immigration and Customs Enforcement has not been forthcoming on reporting deaths of detainees in its custody...
ICE PAYING IMMIGRANT DETAINEES $1 A DAY FOR WORK
Posted on April 02, 2009The Houston Chronicle has run a report showing Immigration and Customs Enforcement is paying detained immigrants in Houston detention centers $1 per day for performing work such as cleaning, doing laundry, washing dishes, working as barbers, working in the medical clinic and more...
OMBUDSMAN OFFERS COMMONSENSE SOLUTIONS FOR USCIS PAYMENT PROBLEMS
Posted on April 01, 2009When I was a rookie lawyer nearly 20 years ago, I remember being thoroughly embarrassed because I calculated a fee incorrectly on a visa application and ended up costing the client several weeks delay in getting their visa. It's a mistake that was easy to make given the myriad of forms and separate fees that are included in many applications...
MICROSOFT STICKS UP FOR H-1B WORKERS
Posted on April 01, 2009I'm glad one of America's greatest companies is not afraid to tell it like it is on the subject of skilled worker immigration even if they'll get flak. Mean time, protectionist Senator Chuck (wait, I'm a Republican?) Grassley continues to beat the drums for destroying the H-1B program...
FORBEARANCE?
Posted on April 01, 2009Is the Obama Administration preparing to torpedo plans for comprehensive immigration reform this year in exchange for a series of lesser interim reforms? I'm trying to read the tea leaves and am really curious about something Vice President Biden said on his recent Central America trip...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: DAVID CAMPOS - POLITICIAN
Posted on March 31, 2009Guatemalan-born David Campos has overcome his status as an illegally present immigrant kid in the US to become a legislative leader in San Francisco. Campos earned scholarships to college and law school and became a prominent civil rights lawyer in the Bay Area...
ICE OPENLY DEFIES SECRETARY NAPOLITANO
Posted on March 31, 2009This is getting interesting. Remember my post from a few weeks ago about a work site raid in Washington state that apparently was conducted by ICE in direct opposition to the wishes of Secretary Napolitano. Now it appears that some at ICE are reveling in taking on the boss of the agency and, by extension, the new President...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: MIGUEL BLAS-MATUS - MEDICAL STUDENT
Posted on March 31, 2009Miguel Blas-Matus' story is another example of the tenacity of many out of status immigrants in the US. He entered the US legally from his native Mexico with his US citizen wife, but due to what seems to be malpractice but an incompetent immigration lawyer (I wish I could say this was more rare than it actually is), he fell out of status...
AUSTRALIA LATEST COUNTRY TO GUARANTEE IMMIGRATION EQUALITY TO SAME SEX COUPLES
Posted on March 30, 2009Common sense (and decency) from our friends Down Under. I hope immigration reform advocates on the Hill don't forget to deal with this important issue when they craft legislation this year.
A PLAN TO TAKE CONGRESS OUT OF THE EQUATION ON DETERMINING FOREIGN WORKER NUMBERS?
Posted on March 27, 2009The LA Times has a very interesting article talking about potential plans for comprehensive immigration reform that involve a major - and risky - change in strategy. According to the report, the CIR bill would look very similar to prior years, but in order to appease labor unions, a new independent commission would be created to assess employment-based visa numbers...
COURT RULES USCIS MUST ALLOW CONCURRENT FILING OF RELIGIOUS WORKER ADJUSTMENT APPLICATIONS
Posted on March 27, 2009This is great news for those waiting forever on I-360 applications. A US District Court in Seattle has ruled that USCIS must accept adjustment applications concurrently with I-360 religious worker green card applications, something allowed for all other employment-based green card cases (except those in backlogged categories)...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: PAVEL GOBERMAN - EXERCISE GURU/POLITICIAN
Posted on March 27, 2009This guy's got gumption. Pavel Goberman is a 71 year old Russian immigrant who came to the US in 1980 and has become a fitness consultant in Oregon. He's running for US Senate against Democratic incumbent Ron Wyden and while his odds of winning are slim, his enthusiasm will no doubt make the race more interesting...
IS ICE ABOUT TO EMBARRASS WHITE HOUSE AGAIN WITH AN UNAUTHORIZED WORK SITE RAID?
Posted on March 27, 2009A reliable source has informed immigration lawyers in the mid-southern United States to be prepared for a major work site raid in or near Canton, Mississippi. While the White House has not formally stated it has suspended raids while it is reviewing its enforcement policy (something that many leaders in Congress have urged), such a moratorium is believed to be in operation right now...
CLINTON PROMISES MEXICO ACTION ON IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on March 26, 2009The Secretary of State told an audience on her Mexico trip that the Administration will move on the issue this year. That's encouraging, though people need to remember that President Bush made the same promise to Mexico.
IS THIS THE YEAR THE DREAM IS REALIZED?
Posted on March 26, 2009Leaders in Congress today re-introduced the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, better known as the DREAM Act. The bill would allow immigrant students raised in the US and who are graduates of US high schools to attend college or join the military and embark on a path to citizenship...
HUMOR: CBP AIRPORT OFFICER TRAINING VIDEO DISCOVERED?
Posted on March 25, 2009Prague's Franz Kafka International Named World's Most Alienating Airport
HOUSE DEMOCRATS GEARING UP FOR INTRODUCTION OF COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM BILL
Posted on March 25, 2009The Hill's take is consistent with what I'm hearing from my own sources at the Capitol.
DOBBS APOLOGIZES FOR HISPANIC CHAMBER REMARK
Posted on March 25, 2009Remember the other day when Lou Dobbs went loco and claimed the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce was actually a drug dealing organization tied in with Mexican mobsters? Well it turns out CNN actually does draw a line on on this kind of outrageous conduct and Mr...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: JORGE MUNOZ - PHILANTROPIST
Posted on March 22, 2009Most people think you have to be wealthy to be a philanthropist. But the term, which literally just refers to one who loves people, refers to anyone who donates money, time or expertise to benefit a socially beneficial cause. And one ordinary American who got some well-deserved attention this week is Colombian-born New York City bus driver Jorge Munoz...
HISPANIC LEGISLATORS PUSHING ON IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on March 18, 2009Two developments today: 1. Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus had a meeting today with President Obama to press on immigration reform. The President indicated he is going to push on a reform bill this year. That we knew. But he also indicated he would hold some kind of "public forum" in about two months...
SHERIFF JOE WON'T COOPERATE WITH JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
Posted on March 18, 2009If you really believe everything in your operation is Kosher, why hide from Congress?
WASHINGTON POST ENDORSES PROPOSAL FOR IMMIGRATION EQUALITY FOR SAME SEX COUPLES
Posted on March 17, 2009Kudos to the Washington Post for writing a strong editorial supporting the Uniting American Families Act which would treat same sex couples the same as heterosexual married couples for purposes of receiving immigration benefits.
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: NEIL GAIMAN - CHILDREN'S AUTHOR
Posted on March 17, 2009British-born author Neil Gaiman is having a big 2009. His new novel, The Graveyard Book, just won the Newberry Medal, the equivalent of the Oscar for children's literature. And another one of his books, Coraline, has been adapted by Tim Burton in a new animated feature film (in 3-D!)...
BORDER PATROL TRIES USING MUSIC AS PROPAGANDA TOOL
Posted on March 17, 2009A reader sent me a link to a story in the Washington Post which discusses a little known program where the Border Patrol is paying musicians to write songs warning Mexicans about the dangers of crossing in to the US. And they seem to think its working (though I have no idea how they really could tell).
HOW IMMIGRANTS CAN FIX THE HOUSING BUBBLE
Posted on March 17, 2009Various readers of this blog have been making this suggestion, but when folks say the same thing in the Wall Street Journal, that gets more attention. CNBC correspondent Erin Burnett also pointed out this piece this morning on Morning Joe on MSNBC.
USCIS DOCUMENT REVEALS OFFICIAL POLICY TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST SMALL BUSINESSES IN H-1B CASES
Posted on March 16, 2009How ironic to find this out on a day when the President announced a policy to aid small businesses. U.S. President Barack Obama will announce steps on Monday to make it easier for small business owners to borrow money, using $730 million in stimulus funds to cut lending fees, boost loan guarantees and expand other programs, officials said...
H-2A REGS SUSPENDED FOR NINE MONTHS
Posted on March 16, 2009Reacting to criticism from farmworker labor organizations, Secretary of Labor Solis has suspended for nine months the new H-2A regulations. According to Farmworker Justice: These policies are extremely harmful to farmworkers, both domestic and foreign, slashing wages, reducing worker protections and eliminating government oversight in an industry known for labor abuses...
DOBBS GOES LOCO
Posted on March 13, 2009Kudos to America's Voice for calling Lou Dobbs out over his latest outrageous statements.
TIME TO PURSUE A BUSINESS INVESTMENT VISA?
Posted on March 12, 2009I am continuing to hear from many of you asking what to do if you lose your job. I?ve written an extensive article on the topic that can be found at http://www.visalaw.com/08oct2/2oct208.html. The article focuses mostly on how to stay legal and how employers can make sure they don't unnecessarily harm their workers...
SENATE PASSES CONRAD 30 AND RELIGIOUS WORKER EXTENSION
Posted on March 12, 2009The Senate has passed by unanimous consent HR 1127 which extends the Conrad 30 and religious worker green card programs until September 30th. The President is expected to sign the bill into law soon.
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: SERGEY BRIN - GOOGLE FOUNDER
Posted on March 12, 200935 year old Russian-born billionaire Sergey Brin has probably had more of an influence on the American public than nearly any one I've ever honored here at Immigrant of the Day. I don't think I need to tell all of you how important the company he founded is to the American economy and our national ethos...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: TOMOAKI KATO - SURGEON
Posted on March 11, 2009Many Americans are today learning who Tomoaki Kato, MD is. The Japanese born surgeon and professor at NewYork Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center in New York performed one of the more amazing surgeries about which I've ever heard...
APPEALS COURT WON'T OVERTURN ARIZONA EMPLOYER SANCTIONS LAW
Posted on March 11, 2009Unless the Supreme Court weighs in, the Arizona law is going to be around awhile. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has now washed their hands of the matter and will not overturn Arizona's employer sanctions law.
SHERIFF JOE IS BEING INVESTIGATED BY THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT!
Posted on March 11, 2009About time. According to the AP:Federal authorities told a high-profile Arizona sheriff Tuesday that they will investigate his department over allegations of discrimination and unconstitutional searches and seizures.The U.S. Justice Department said in a letter to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio that investigators will focus on alleged patterns of police discrimination based on national origin...
LOU "I LOVE LEGAL IMMIGRATION" DOBBS GOES AFTER FOREIGN NURSES
Posted on March 10, 2009Lou Dobbs loves to tell people he's not anti-immigrant - he just is against illegal immigration. Follow the rules, and he's just fine with people coming to America. Uh huh. Remember the brouhaha last year when Lou Dobbs had an on air freak out over a report I authored showing more than 100 negative reports on legal immigration on his show over the last five years? Dobbs claimed the stories were mostly about abuses in the legal immigration programs and he didn't have a problem with the programs themselves...
HEALTH CARE COMPANIES COMMENT ON PRESIDENT'S REMARKS ON FOREIGN NURSES
Posted on March 10, 2009The American Association of International Healthcare Recruitment (AAIHR) an organization of US based international healthcare recruitment service providers which has the stated goal of promoting legal, ethical, and professional practices for international healthcare recruitment, has commented on President Obama's remarks last week on foreign nurses and the nursing shortage: The American Association of International Healthcare Recruitment (AAIHR) applauds President Obama?s public recognition of the United States? severe nursing shortage at last week?s White House Health Summit, as well as his commitment to addressing this important issue in a bipartisan manner...
SENATE VOTES TO TABLE E-VERIFY FIVE YEAR EXTENSION
Posted on March 10, 2009An attempt to amend the Omnibus budget bill to extend the E-Verify program by five years has failed after Senators voted 50 to 47 to table the measure indefinitely. This likely means three things - 1. E-Verify will be extended until September 30th.2. Congress will presumably deal with a permanent authorization as part of a comprehensive bill this summer...
APRIL VISA BULLETIN SHOWS RETROGRESSION FOR EMPLOYMENT CASES
Posted on March 09, 2009Really bad news for people in the EB-3 category. Priority dates in the April 2009 Visa Bulletin show backwards movement of two years. But there is some positive movement in the family numbers. Here is the DOS explanation:Despite the established cut-off date having been held for the past five months in an effort to keep demand within the average monthly usage targets, the amount of demand being received from Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) Offices for adjustment of status cases remains extremely high...
COHEN INTRODUCES PATIENT VISA BILL
Posted on March 08, 2009I'm proud of my hometown's Congress Steve Cohen who has just introduced HR 1033, a bill that would make it easier for people coming to the US for medical treatment to get a visa for their trip. The bill will also make it easier for parents of children coming to the US for long term treatment to be able to get employment authorization documents...
RECESSION ISN'T RESOLVING NURSING SHORTAGE
Posted on March 08, 2009Even as the unemployment rate tops 8% in the US, the shortage of nurses is still not getting better. We still need nursing immigration relief.
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: ALAN CUMMING - ACTOR
Posted on March 08, 2009I've enjoyed watching the film performances of Scottish-born actor Alan Cumming even since he played villain Boris Grishenko in Goldeneye, one of my favorite James Bond films. He also starred in one of my kids favorite movies, Spykids. The versatile Cumming also won a Tony award for playing the Emcee in the recent Broadway revival of Caberet...
ICE AGENT ACCUSED OF TAKING BRIBES
Posted on March 08, 2009Roy Bailey, an ICE agent in Detroit, has been accused of taking bribes including cash, free meals, landscaping services, and even casino chips in exchange for favors. Does this story sound familiar?
HAITI REFUSING TO ACCEPT BACK ITS DEPORTEES
Posted on March 06, 2009The country is so desperately poor and is still reeling from four recent hurricanes as well as food riots that it's not hard to see why it wants its citizens able to remain abroad and send home money to continue to do so. In the mean time, 30,000 Haitians awaiting deportation are in legal limbo...
OBAMA NOTES THAT FOREIGN NURSES ARE NOT A LONG TERM SOLUTION FOR SHORTAGE
Posted on March 06, 2009I've gotten a few emails from folks concerned about remarks President Obama made yesterday regarding the role of foreign nurses in solving the nation's desperate nursing shortage. At a White House health care forum, President Obama discussed the nursing shortage with Congresswoman Lois Capps, a former nurse...
VISA PROGRAMS EXTENDED FOR ONE MORE WEEK
Posted on March 06, 2009The Senate has been unable to pass the Omnibus budget bill containing extensions of the EB-5 and E-Verify programs and funding to keep the US government running is officially over today. In order to keep the country from shutting down, both houses of Congress will vote today on a continuing resolution to keep things going until March 11th...
TIME TO BRING BACK VISA REVALIDATION
Posted on March 06, 2009The New York Times reports this week on worsening problems with visa processing for work status applicants at US consulates around the world. The story focuses on bureaucratic snafus, inadequate resource allocations and security clearance delays. I've also learned through my own sources that new security clearance procedures being secretly introduced could cause massive new delays in visa processing in the months...
E-VERIFY FIVE YEAR EXTENSION TO GET VOTE NEXT WEEK?
Posted on March 06, 2009Anti-immigrant group Numbers USA is reporting that Senator Reid has agreed to allow Senator Sessions to get a vote on an amendment to the Omnibus budget bill to extend E-Verify by five years.
CONSULAR OFFICER CONVICTED OF EXCHANGING VISAS FOR STRIPPERS AND JEWELRY
Posted on February 28, 2009RAID = ROGUE?
Posted on February 26, 2009Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted a raid Tuesday on Yamato Engine Specialists, a manufacturing company in Bellingham, Washington. This is the first work site raid since President Obama was sworn in and appears to have been conducted without the knowledge or approval of either the President or his new Secretary of Homeland Security who have both expressed their concerns with the use of raids as opposed to other kinds of enforcement measures...
HOUSE PASSES E-VERIFY AND EB-5 PROGRAM EXTENSIONS
Posted on February 26, 2009They're included on the Fiscal 2009 Omnibus spending bill and will keep those programs going until September 30, 2009. The Conrad 30 and religious worker expirations are still coming next week unless a separate bill is passed or the Senate decides to get them in their version of the Omnibus.
IMMIGRATION JUDGES CALL FOR APPOINTING ONE OF THEIR OWN TO RUN EOIR
Posted on February 25, 2009From the National Law Journal (subscription required): A group of immigration judges called for the U.S. attorney general to appoint one of their own as the next chief immigration judge, to reform what has been a problem-plagued and overburdened agency for years...
IMMIGRATION REFORM WITHOUT ALL THAT MESSY REFORM
Posted on February 25, 2009My friends Gary Endelman and Cyrus Mehta have written a very thoughtful piece here on ILW.com that discusses how we can accomplish many of the goals of comprehensive immigration reform within the existing immigration system framework. Sure there would be some legislative changes needed, but the ideas they are proposing don't require the monumental lift that is necessary for CIR...
USCIS ANNOUNCES MODEST EXPANSION OF I-140 PREMIUM PROCESSING
Posted on February 24, 2009Under the prior rules, you had to be in H-1B status and your six years of H-1B time had to be ending within 60 days. As of March 2, 2009, you are also eligible if you're no longer in H-1B status and your six years are finished. So, for example, if you used up your H-1B time and switched to another non-immigrant status or you left the country, you should be eligible...
IMMIGRATION MEASURES INTRODUCED IN CONGRESS
Posted on February 24, 2009Several immigration-related developments on Capitol Hill today. First, a provision extending E-Verify and the EB-5 regional centers until September was included in the big omnibus spending bill coming tomorrow. Also, Congresswoman Lofgren introduced HR 1127, a separate bill extending the Conrad 30 and religious worker bills past the March deadline until next September as well...
DID THE UK JUST LAUNCH A TRADE IN SERVICES WAR?
Posted on February 23, 2009"You only think I guessed wrong! That's what's so funny! I switched glasses when your back was turned! Ha ha! You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well-known is this: never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: HARRI KULOVAARA - NAVAL ARCHITECT
Posted on February 23, 2009Finnish-born Harri Kulovaara is designing what will be the largest cruise ship in the world when it is completed later this year. Royal Carribean's Oasis of the Seas will carry 6,300 passengers, 2,000 more than any other ship. The ship is unusual in that it is divided in to two halves, each with a six story tower of cabins with enough space between the two towers to fit a football-field sized park...
TWO MORE IMMIGRATION APPOINTEES ANNOUNCED
Posted on February 23, 2009Two biggies today. John Morton, a career prosecutor with experience in immigration enforcement at the Department of Justice was named by President Obama to head up Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). More interesting to me is the appointment by DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano of Esther Olavarria as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: HUGH JACKMAN - OSCAR HOST
Posted on February 22, 2009The Academy Awards are on now and immigrants are being showered with awards as was the case last year (more on that later). But the show kicked off with an immigrant theme with Australian-born host Hugh Jackman becoming the first foreign-born host in several years to host...
Q & A ON THE NEW MILITARY RECRUITMENT PROGRAM FOR VISA HOLDERS AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS
Posted on February 22, 2009My friend Margaret Stock has prepared a highly detailed document outlining the requirements to participate in the new non-citizen recruiting program for health care professionals and translators.
HOLLYWOOD GOES BOLLYWOOD - IMMIGRANTS OF THE DAY
Posted on February 22, 2009Oscar has an Indian-accent tonight with the UK/Indian production Slumdog Millionaire the big winner of the evening - including joining the ranks of the greatest films of all time with the coveted Best Picture award. Foreign-born artists were again richly rewarded for their work at the 81st Academy Awards...
WHAT'S THE POINT OF HAVING A CONSTITUTION?
Posted on February 21, 2009Here's a town in California that has decided it will ignore federal law and do its own I-9 audits of local employers to determine whether they should be able to keep their business licenses. Even the anti-immigrant groups pushing state laws on immigration enforcement don't go this far in terms of letting a municipality take matters into their own hands...
THE ANGRY SPOUSE
Posted on February 20, 2009The National Law Journal reports on an interesting case involving the Virginia assistant attorney general and his "mail order" Colombian bride. The case involves a divorce action that involves some sordid accusations against the US citizen husband. But the interesting part for me is the question of whether a judge can bar the US citizen from contacting USCIS regarding the immigration status of his wife...
PRESIDENT OBAMA COMMENTS ON HIS IMMIGRATION PLANS
Posted on February 20, 2009Thanks to America's Voice for the update: President Obama Renews Commitment to Move on Comprehensive Immigration Reform this Year President Understands Voters? Desire for Common-Sense Action Washington, DC ? In an interview with radio show host El Piolín this week, President Obama renewed his campaign pledge to move forward on comprehensive immigration reform legislation this year, including a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who go through background checks, pay taxes, and get at the back of the citizenship line...
WHO?
Posted on February 20, 2009The Washington Post is reporting a couple of obscure names as the likely people to head USCIS and ICE. Readers who know more about these folks are encouraged to speak up: Immigration Picks Immigrant advocates say the White House and the Department of Homeland Security have nearly finalized their choices to lead two major immigration agencies...
SHERIFF JOE MUST GO
Posted on February 19, 2009Immigration advocacy group America's Voice is sponsoring an online petition drive calling on the Justice Department to investigate Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the virulently anti-immigrant sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, one of the most populous counties in America...
ICE INVESTIGATING BALTIMORE OFFICE
Posted on February 18, 2009ICE is investigating its Baltimore office over orders to switch from emphasizing deporting criminals and people who were evading deportation orders and instead to target Hispanic-looking workers gathering at day laborer sites.
LEAHY PUSHES FOR SAME-SEX COUPLE IMMIGRATION RIGHTS
Posted on February 17, 2009Despite the fact that several US states recognize same-sex marriages and civil unions, US immigration authorities are barred from granting permanent residency status to partners of US citizens and permanent residents. The reason for this is the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) passed in 1996 that bars federal agencies from conferring any recognition to same sex marriages...
NAPOLITANO LAYS OUT IMMIGRATION PLANS
Posted on February 17, 2009New Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano had an interview with NPR's Madeleine Brand where she discusses her priorities for DHS. No big revelations, but it does tell a bit more about what to expect from the Administration.Not unsurprisingly there's a lot of talk about enforcement...
ARMY PROMISES CITIZENSHIP IN EXCHANGE FOR SERVICE
Posted on February 15, 2009Non-immigrant visa holders and green card holders will be eligible to obtain US citizenship within six months of enlisting in the military under a plan announced yesterday by the US Army. The program will initially be open to 1000 individuals. Non-immigrants must have been in the US for at least two years to be eligible...
HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CALLS ON JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO INVESTIGATE SHERIFF JOE
Posted on February 15, 2009Sheriff Joe may have finally gone too far. Sally Kohn describes his latest antics at Huffington Post:This week, having already done everything imaginable to turn himself into a national right-wing celebrity by terrorizing undocumented immigrants, Sheriff Joe turned to the unimaginable...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: JIN KYU ROBERTSON - US ARMY CAPTAIN
Posted on February 14, 2009Korean-born Jim Kyu Robertson has lived a truly American story. She came from modest means in her native country for a housemaid job at the age of 22. When she arrived, the job was gone and she managed to survive waiting tables in a restaurant. She worked on her English skills and enrolled in college...
LIGHTER SANDERS H-1B PROVISION INCLUDED IN STIMULUS BILL
Posted on February 13, 2009Reports in some quarters that the Sanders Amendment was stripped from the stimulus were incorrect and the measure remains in the stimulus bill about to be voted on by both Houses of Congress. The bar on all hiring of H-1Bs by banks receiving bailout funds was modified in the Senate and now allows the banks to hire H-1B workers but comply with the H-1B dependency rules...
11 INDICTED IN H-1B FRAUD CASE
Posted on February 13, 2009ICE has announced the arrests of eleven individuals in seven states as part of an investigation in to visa and mail fraud. The arrested were employees of Vision Systems Group, Inc., a New Jersey company that is a so-called "job shop" placing IT workers from India...
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL REPORT: LINK BETWEEN H-1Bs FOR SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS AND NUMBER OF INVENTIONS
Posted on February 13, 2009Harvard Business School has released a report showing a correlation between rises and decreases in the H-1B cap and the amount of innovation (measured in patent applications). The paper is very technical, but I know there are a lot of technical folks who read this blog so I'll leave it readers to give their thoughts in the comments.
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: TAPAN THAKUR - PHYSICIAN
Posted on February 12, 2009The American College of Physicians has honored Indian-born Tapan Thakur, MD as one of the nation's top ten hospitalists. Thakur works right in my home town of Memphis and was noted for his development of a new system to improve patient care by re-engineering communications both within the hospital and with referring physicians.
E-VERIFY STRIPPED OUT OF STIMULUS BILL
Posted on February 12, 2009Still awaiting the final language, but given the anger coming on the antis' web sites, that's a basic confirmation. Also awaiting confirmation that the Sanders H-1B amendment was knocked out.
SCHUMER WILL HEAD SENATE IMMIGRATION SUBCOMMITTEE
Posted on February 12, 2009Congressional Quarterly (subscription required) is reporting the news. This can only be considered outstanding for the pro-immigration community. The senior Democratic senator from New York is one of the best friends the pro-immigration community has in Congress.
S-T-U-P-I-D
Posted on February 11, 2009That's how best-selling author Thomas Friedman describes the anti-H-1B measure passed in the Senate last week. He has an excellent opinion piece in the New York Times defending the H-1B visa program and explaining why we need MORE, not fewer, talent workers in the US if we are to revitalize the economy and keep the US on top...
MARCH VISA BULLETIN NEWS
Posted on February 11, 2009The big headline this month involves Mexicans in the "other workers" EB-3 category (available to workers who are not considered skilled or professional). The visa queue jumped a full year and a half for them (going from a 7 1/2 year wait to a 6 year wait)...
SISKIND'S IMMIGRATION BULLETIN - FEBRUARY 10, 2009
Posted on February 11, 2009Folks who haven't been to my firm's web site at www.visalaw.com may not know that I co-write (along with my colleague Ken Bragdon), Siskind's Immigration Bulletin. Our firm has been publishing this newsletter online since mid-1994 and, to the best of our knowledge, it was the very first law firm email newsletter in the world...
H-1B VISAS AND THE BANKS - THE REAL STORY
Posted on February 11, 2009Unfortunately, facts are not important to the AP. So the National Foundation for American Policy has been doing the investigating that reporters are apparently too lazy to do themselves: A National Foundation for American Policy analysis finds the Associated Press report overstated the current use of H-1B visas by these institutions by combining 6 years of past data and focusing on applications filed with the Department of Labor, which often exaggerate actual visa usage because employers may file applications for multiple geographic areas for one individual to comply with H-1B wage rules...
CONGRATS, ROBERT PLANT
Posted on February 08, 2009Congratulations are due to Robert Plant, the British-born rock singer who moved to American in the 1960s and has been an icon for decades. My February 16, 2008 Immigrant of the Day won another Grammy this evening for Best Pop Collaboration with the wonderful Alison Krauss who I heard several times live in my second hometown - Nashville.
HOUSE PASSES BILL REQUIRING DETENTION FACILITIES TO REPORT DEATHS
Posted on February 07, 2009The US House passed a bill that got little attention this week that was a step in the right direction. Here is a press release from the ACLU offering details: House Passes Bill To Expand Reporting Of Immigrant Deaths In Detention Deaths In Custody Reporting Act Provides Overdue And Welcome Accountability, Says ACLU FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 3, 2009 WASHINGTON ? In the wake of recent reports about the November death of an immigrant detainee at the Piedmont Regional Jail in Virginia, the U...
SENATE ADDS ANTI-H-1B PROVISION TO STIMULUS BILL
Posted on February 07, 2009Yesterday, the Senate passed by voice vote an amendment relating to H-1B applications by banks that received bailout money. I've prepared a detailed post about the provision, but have held off on putting it up because there was a last minute modification to the language posted online and I am still trying to get the final language...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: RAM SHRIRAM - INTERNET PIONEER
Posted on February 06, 2009Indian-born Kavitark Ram Shriram is a founding board member of Google and one of it's major shareholders. He has also served as an officer at Amazon.com when the company was still in its early days and an early officer at Netscape. The billionaire currently serves on the boards of Plaxo, Zazzle and PodShow and on the advisory board of Naukri...
NEW SPLC REPORT DETAILS LINKS OF NATIVIST GROUPS TO WHITE NATIONALISTS
Posted on February 06, 2009The Southern Poverty Law Center has been investigating this subject more than any other group. And they've apparently struck a nerve because the nativist groups go crazy whenever SPLC probes this topic. I would be surprised if the comments for this post are NOT especially colorful.
NY TIMES: ICE MISLED CONGRESS ON USE OF RAIDS FUNDS
Posted on February 05, 2009This is more than just a story about how ICE is focusing on non-criminal aliens rather than the criminals DHS has touted to request more and more funding from Congress. This story shows step by step how ICE abandoned its promise and it should be a wake up call to Congress to have better oversight over how its funds are spent.
WE'RE JUST MISUNDERSTOOD
Posted on February 03, 2009America's Voice points to an interview with new Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele as evidence that the GOP still doesn't comprehend that they are now considered the anti-immigrant party. They point to this interview on Fox News last week:WALLACE: Does the GOP need to change its position on immigration reform, guest workers, path to citizenship, to reach out and say to Hispanics, "You have a home in the Republican Party?...
WHY WE NEED THE H-1B PROGRAM NOW MORE THAN EVER
Posted on February 03, 2009During the Great Depression, Congress and President Hoover responded to strong public pressure and did the one thing the wisest economists warned against - they enacted massive new trade barriers to protect US companies from competition. Countries around the world did the same and the result was a decline in world trade that many believe made the Depression much worse...
THE NATIVISTS ARE RESTLESS
Posted on February 02, 2009There's a great editorial in the morning NY Times that I meant to link to earlier today. As always, the Times seems to be ahead of most papers around the country in terms of the depth of their news coverage and the passion of their editorial page advocacy.
.04%
Posted on February 02, 2009This morning the Associated Press is running one of the most unfair pieces I've seen in a long time regarding the H-1B visa program. I expect this sort of thing out of the xenophobic fringe press, but the AP is an organization that used to be known for objectivity...
AG NOMINEE SAYS HE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT REVERSING COMPEAN CASE
Posted on February 02, 2009Attorney General nominee Eric Holder has told Senators that he was prepared to review the extremely controversial last minute ruling by former Attorney General Michael Mukasey that having incompetent representation would no longer be a defense to being deported...
GILLIBRAND STARTING TO SOUND LIKE A NEW YORK SENATOR SHOULD
Posted on February 02, 2009The freshman Senator from the Empire State told a Latino audience this week that she not only understands that her prior anti-immigrant positions as a Congresswoman from a conservative district were not going to work in her new job. According to the New York Times:In particular, she promised to take a lead in promoting a Congressional bill to roll back a federal provision that discourages states from charging in-state tuition to the children of illegal immigrants who attend state-supported universities...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: BEN GRAHAM - NFL PUNTER
Posted on February 01, 2009Ben Graham will become the first Australian ever to play in a Super Bowl when he suits up later today in Tampa. He's the punter for the underdog Arizona Cardinals. He played Australian Rules Football for several years before coming to the US in 2005 and signing on with the New York Jets...
SENATE PASSES BILL PROVIDING HEALTH COVERAGE FOR IMMIGRANT KIDS
Posted on January 30, 2009The House passed this even before the President was sworn in. The bill now brings in a large number of legal immigrant children in to the Children's Health Insurance Program. Pro-immigrant groups are applauding the measure. From a press release from the National Conference of La Raza: Legal immigrant children in the U...
NEW I-9 FORM DELAYED TWO MONTHS
Posted on January 30, 2009Last week I blogged about the new Executive Order delaying all regulations from taking effect for 60 days. Two rules that seemed to fit the bill were the E-Verify federal contractor rule and the other is the new I-9 form with tighter (and controversial) document requirements...
EXPERTS REFUTE EXTREMIST GROUP CLAIMS ON 2008 ELECTION
Posted on January 29, 2009The November elections were just a few weeks ago so I was surprised to hear that various anti-immigrant extremist organizations have been trying to re-write history and claim that the voters were actually sending an anti-immigrant message. Huh?!! People paying attention know that this is a bunch of malarkey, but it's important that this type of nonsense does not go unchallenged...
CONGRESSIONAL HISPANICS OPPOSE INSERTING E-VERIFY PROVISIONS IN STIMULUS PACKAGE
Posted on January 29, 2009Members of the powerful Congressional Hispanic Caucus have sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging her to strip provisions extending E-Verify for five years and requiring employers receiving stimulus money to use the electronic system. The group's main arguments are that the system is still not accurate enough and that it will disproportionately affect Hispanic workers...
GILLIBRAND PLEDGES TO RE-VISIT PAST IMMIGRATION POSITIONS
Posted on January 28, 2009Kirsten Gillibrand was sworn in yesterday as the new Senator from New York and the complaints of pro-immigration groups and media outlets over her dismal voting record in the House of Representatives apparently has had an impact:Immediately following the announcement, liberal blogs and New York?s ethnic media lit up with complaints about Ms...
ANTI-IMMIGRANTS DISCOVER MY BLOG
Posted on January 27, 2009Have you noticed an uptick in comments from anti-immigrant posters you've never seen here before? There's a reason. A friend of mine forwarded me the latest email newsletter from the nice folks at the Federation for American Immigration Reform and they have a little article discussing the Gillibrand Senate appointment mentioning how pro-immigration groups were reacting with concern over Ms...
BREAKING NEWS: E-VERIFY CONTRACTOR RULE NOW ON HOLD UNTIL MAY
Posted on January 27, 2009Just got word that DHS and the plaintiffs in the suit challenging the E-Verify federal contractor rule agreed on the extension of the applicability date of the E-Verify contractor rule until May 21, 2009 in order to give the new President time to review the rule...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: RAUL HINOJOSA-OJEDA - SOCIAL SCIENTIST
Posted on January 26, 2009I've just blogged about the new study released by UCLA's Dr. Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda on the impact of a legalization program on economic recovery in the US. Dr. Hinojosa-Ojeda is a native of Mexico and was raised in Chicago. He received a bachelors, masters and Ph...
COULD IMMIGRATION REFORM BE AN ECONOMIC STIMULUS?
Posted on January 26, 2009UCLA's Dr. Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda, Executive Director of the university's North American Integration and Development Center, makes the case that a legalization program on a large scale will be an economic boon to the country:Legalization of the nation?s undocumented workers is now an economic necessity, as well as amoral and civil rights imperative...
ANOTHER GOP LEADER CALLS ON PARTY TO RE-THINK IMMIGRATION VIEWS
Posted on January 26, 2009Here here for another grown-up saying what the politically tone deaf in the Republican Party don't seem to want to hear - if the party doesn't re-invent itself as a pro-immigration party, it will spend many years in the minority. Former Republican National Committee Chair and Bush Cabinet Secretary Jim Nicholson reminds his party that Hispanics are a natural constituency based on many of their views on social and economic issues...
SENATOR ADVOCATES MICROSOFT FIRE FOREIGN NATIONALS FIRST
Posted on January 26, 2009The news that Microsoft will be laying off 5,000 workers is certainly troubling since the company has traditionally been very reluctant to release folks and only a year ago was discussing how they had 5,000 openings they could not fill. The anti-H-1B Senator Charles Grassley has now jumped in to the fray demanding that Microsoft start firing its H-1B workers before any "similarly qualified" workers lose their jobs...
WHITE HOUSE CONSIDERING REPEALING DIRECTIVE RELATED TO PRESIDENT'S AUNT
Posted on January 26, 2009Strange politics here. President Bush's Homeland Security Department issued an order last November when the story broke that then Senator Obama's aunt was in the country illegally and subject to deportation. Now the President is seeking to scrap the directive presumably to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest.
STIMULUS BILL MAKES MAJOR E-VERIFY CHANGES
Posted on January 24, 2009The House has included a provision extending the E-Verify program from March 6, 2006. The House Appropriations committee has not released the text of the amendment yet so I'm not able to clarify the exact period of extension. The press release from the committee linked above says it is extended for five years...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: AMER DELIC
Posted on January 24, 2009Bosnian-born Amer Delic had a great Australian Open losing in the third round to defending champion Nova Djokovic of Serbia. Delic won the NCAA Singles Championship in 2003 while representing the University of Illinois and has played in a number of major tournaments over the last few years...
AMERICA'S VOICE URGES GILLIBRAND TO UPHOLD NY PRO-IMMIGRATION TRADITION
Posted on January 23, 2009America?s Voice to Gillibrand: Uphold NY Tradition of Sensible Immigration Policy Moving from Conservative District to Statewide Office, Appointee Must Recognize Policy & Political Demand for Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2009 Washington, DC ? Below is a statement from Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America?s Voice in response to Governor David Paterson?s appointment of Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to the U...
NASHVILLE SAYS NO TO ENGLISH-ONLY AMENDMENT
Posted on January 23, 2009I'm proud of my former hometown (though I'm there often enough for work that it still is a home away from home). The city has been known for its hospitality over the years - it once actually garnered an award for the friendliest city in America. But in recent years, it's hostile treatment of immigrants has been making national headlines...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: PENELOPE CRUZ - ACTRESS
Posted on January 23, 2009The beautiful Spanish actress Penelope Cruz was nominated for her second Academy Award today for her supporting role in the recent Woody Allen film Vicky Christina Barcelona. Ms. Cruz was nominated a couple of years ago for her performance in the Spanish film Volver.
NO STIMULUS MONEY FOR EMPLOYERS WHO VIOLATE IMMIGRATION LAWS
Posted on January 22, 2009This is not a surprise. The new Administration will continue to take a tough line on employers who don't heed US immigration laws. There may not be as many raids as we've seen, but expect that enforcement will come in other areas - I-9 audits, strengthening E-Verify, barring access to tax breaks and government contracts, etc...
NAPOLITANO NOW DHS SECRETARY
Posted on January 22, 2009Janet Napolitano has been sworn in as the new Secretary of Homeland Security and on her first day in office ordered reports from agency chiefs at DHS on how their agencies work to achieve the mission of DHS.
CONGRESSIONAL HISPANIC CAUCUS REQUESTS MEETING WITH PRESIDENT TO DISCUSS IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on January 22, 2009Luis Gutierrez tells the AP that the CHC sent a letter yesterday to President Obama to set up a meeting to discuss getting immigration reform going quickly rather than waiting.
NEW HOUSE IMMIGRATION SUBCOMMITTEE NAMED
Posted on January 22, 2009Chair: Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)Ranking Member: Steve King (R-IA)Democrats:Howard Berman (D-CA) Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) Maxine Waters (D-TX) Pedro Pierluisi (D-Puerto Rico) Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) Linda Sanchez (D-CA) Anthony Weiner (D-NY) Charles Gonzalez (D-TX) Bill Delahunt (D-MA)Republicans: Gregg Harper (R-MS) Elton Gallegly (R-CA) Dan Lungren (R-CA) Ted Poe (R-TX) Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)A few observations...
LIKELY SENATOR FROM NEW YORK SCORES HIGH WITH ANTI-IMMIGRATION GROUPS
Posted on January 22, 2009Now that Caroline Kennedy has dropped out of the running to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate, speculation has now turned to Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand from the upstate New York area. Andrea Mitchell of NBC is reporting that she's going to be announced tomorrow as the new Senator...
DOES THE HISPANIC CONGRESSIONAL CAUCUS HAVE THE MUSCLE TO MAKE IMMIGRATION REFORM HAPPEN?
Posted on January 22, 2009Politico's Gebe Martinez has an insightful piece on the role the CHC will play in the new age of Latino electoral power.
GILLIBRAND WOULD LIKELY OPPOSE COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on January 22, 2009New York's pro-immigration community has only known about the nomination for a few hours, but they've swung in to action to put the brakes on this disastrous pick. The Orange Country Register's Dena Bunis is the first to report.
CONGRATS TO RICHARD JENKINS ON HIS OSCAR NOMINATION
Posted on January 22, 2009A few months back I blogged on the great film The Visitor, one of the better immigration-themed movies of recent years. Now one of its stars, Richard Jenkins, was honored today with an Academy Award nomination.
PRESIDENT OBAMA PUTS A HOLD ON NEW REGS
Posted on January 21, 2009President Obama today ordered federal agencies to hold off publishing new regulations until the new White House has an opportunity to first review them. I'm not aware of any rules the Bush folks didn't get to during its regulatory dump over the last few months, but the order also had one interesting additional item for agency heads:Consider extending for 60 days the effective date ofregulations that have been published in the FederalRegister but not yet taken effect, subject to theexceptions described in paragraph I, for the purposeof reviewing questions of law and policy raised by thoseregulations...
WHICH REGS ARE ON HOLD?
Posted on January 21, 2009The way I see it, here are regulations that have effective dates that must be postponed -E-Verify federal contractor rule (20 February 2009)New I-9 form (effective 2 February 2009)Quite a few rules had effective dates just before the new President took office...
TOOTING MY OWN HORN
Posted on January 20, 2009Business Tennessee Magazine has included me on its list of the 150 best lawyers in the state. .
LINDSAY GRAHAM: REPUBLICANS READY TO BE A PARTNER ON IMMIGRATION
Posted on January 20, 2009Senator Lindsay Graham, the South Carolina Republican, told NBC News' Kelly O'Donnell this hour that he will find Republicans like himself ready to partner with him on big issues including immigration reform. A good start.
A NEW DAY
Posted on January 20, 2009It was hard not to be stirred by this morning's Inauguration and there will be endless commentary about the meaning of today. But for the pro-immigration community in America, it has been a long, long eight years. I remember September 11, 2001 vividly not just because I was in Manhattan that day, but also because at around 10 am that morning, Congress was set to vote to reenact Section 245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act which would have offered crucial relief to millions of immigrants...
IMMIGRANTS OF THE DAY: ITZHAK PERLMAN, YO-YO MA AND GABRIELA MONTERO - MUSICIANS
Posted on January 20, 2009Two of the artists featured in the Inauguration ceremony were famed Israel-born violinist Itzhak Perlman, French-born Yo-Yo Ma and Venezuelan-born pianist Gabriela Montero who played a new John Williams piece along with clarinetist Anthony McGill. Millions of people will now remember the virtuoso for his participation in this wonderful contribution to the day...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: ISABEL TOLEDO - FASHION DESIGNER
Posted on January 20, 2009There are many immigrants who played big and small roles in today's Inauguration ceremonies. One person's work will be noticed by millions, but will largely not be attributed. I'm talking about Cuban-born Isabel Toledo who designed the dress worn by the new First Lady...
GET WELL, SENATOR KENNEDY
Posted on January 20, 2009Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), the Lion of the Senate, had to be rushed to the hospital after having a seizure during the President's luncheon in the Capitol. As everyone knows, the Senator has been battling brain cancer for much of the past year. The Senator is also one of the best friends the pro-immigration community has in the Senate and we all wish him a speedy recovery.
MEXICAN OFFICIAL DENOUNCES COMMUTING OF BORDER PATROL AGENTS
Posted on January 20, 2009A lot of people are upset about the commuting of the officers' sentences including the Mexican government. Former President George W. Bush said he agreed with the verdict, but that he felt the sentences imposed on the agents were excessive.
BREAKING NEWS: LOFGREN SELECTED TO CHAIR HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE
Posted on January 20, 2009Wow. Lofgren has done an admirable job keeping the anti-immigrants at bay during a very rough period in the nation's migration history. Now she is being tapped to chair one of the most important committees in Congress, according to this report in CQ Politics...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: JASON WU - DESIGNER
Posted on January 20, 2009Well the new First Lady has turned another immigrant fashion designer in to an instant sensation. Tonight its 26 year old Jason Wu. Mrs. Obama is wearing a Jason Wu gown to ten Inaugural Balls this evening. The Taiwanese-born designer graduated from New York's Parson School of Design and opened up his own fashion house three years ago.
BUSH PARDONS BORDER PATROL AGENTS
Posted on January 19, 2009From the Associated Press:In his final acts of clemency, President George W. Bush on Monday commuted the prison sentences of two former U.S. Border Patrol agents whose convictions for shooting a Mexican drug dealer ignited fierce debate about illegal immigration...
THE PLIGHT OF THE DISABLED DETAINEE
Posted on January 19, 2009This article came out a few weeks ago, but I had not had the chance to post it. The Brownsville (TX) Herald ran a report discussing the lack of protection for mentally and developmentally disabled immigrants who end up in DHS' detention system. Worth the read.
INVESTIGATION UNCOVERS HISTORY OF SEX ASSAULTS AT TEXAS DETENTION CENTER
Posted on January 19, 2009WOAI, the NBC News affiliate in San Antonio, Texas recently reported on allegations of sexual assaults of detainees by guards at a privately owned immigrant detention facility in Pearson, Texas.
IMMIGRANTS OF THE DAY: PADMASREE WARRIOR AND VIVEK KUNDRA - CTOs
Posted on January 18, 2009Hat tip a reader for sending this tip. Padmasree Warrior, the chief technology officer for Cisco (and Motorola before that) and Vivek Kundra, the CTO for the government of Washington, DC, are the leading candidates for the country's first Chief Technology Officer...
INVESTIGATORS SLAM DETENTION CENTER OVER DEATH OF DETAINEE
Posted on January 17, 2009Last August, I wrote about the horrible death of Hiu Liu Ng, a Hong Kong-born computer engineer who died in a privately-run Rhode Island detention center after he was denied medical treatment even though he was screaming in pain. Now ICE investigators have issued a report slamming the contractor and referring the matter to the US attorney in Boston for possible criminal prosecution...
NAPOLITANO SAYS GOAL IS TO FIX BROKEN IMMIGRATION SYSTEM
Posted on January 17, 2009Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano had a relatively smooth confirmation hearing in the Senate this week. She did not offer a lot of specifics as far as her plans for the immigration system, though she did make it clear that major reform is a priority. She also indicated that she will not let up on the crackdown on employers around the country.
RIP, RUMPOLE AND MR. ROARKE
Posted on January 17, 2009The death of two gentleman this week has me down. One of my favorite writers, John Mortimer, died after a long illness at the age of 85. Mr. Mortimer was a successful and famous barrister in London before he embarked on a career as a novelist and screenwriter...
HOUSE EASILY PASSES BILL EXTENDING HEALTH INSURANCE TO IMMIGRANT KIDS
Posted on January 15, 2009A few days ago I said this would be an indicator of whether we might see a more immigration-friendly GOP in the new Congress. Yesterday, the House passed by a 2 to 1 margin the SCHIP children's health insurance bill. A key provision in the bill changes the law to allow all legal immigrant children to access the program...
KEEPING US SAFE
Posted on January 15, 2009This is a painful to watch clip. But it tells what is happening in Phoenix and many other cities better than 100 editorials.
TREASUREY SECRETARY DESIGNEE HAS ILLEGAL NANNY PROBLEM
Posted on January 14, 2009Tim Geithner joins a long list of nominees over the last two decades who have seen their nominations jeopardized over having employed an illegally present immigrant. The most famous case involved President Clinton's first nomination for Attorney General, Zoe Baird...
FIRST IMMIGRATION TEST FOR REPUBLICANS IN NEW CONGRESS
Posted on January 13, 2009It relates to health care availability for immigrant kids. Here's what America's Voice has to say on the subject: The House is set to vote on legislation to reauthorize the StateChildren?s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) this week, and the Senate Finance Committee will also take up companion legislation...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: COLIN FARRELL - ACTOR
Posted on January 13, 2009Following up on this week's Golden Globes theme, today we honor Colin Farrell, the Irish-born movie star who won an actor award for his role in the film In Bruges. Farrell is a familiar face on the silver screen and is one of the busiest actors in Hollywood...
FEBRUARY 2009 VISA BULLETIN OUT
Posted on January 13, 2009Some very good news in the EB-2 category for Indians and for the Chinese in both the EB-2 and EB-3 categories. Also good news for Mexicans in the EB-3 category - a six month advance for them.Family 1st - Advancement of worldwide, China and India numbers by three weeks to 08 JUL 2002...
SUNSTEIN TAPPED FOR REGULATORY CZAR
Posted on January 12, 2009This is not exactly immigration news, but I was really pleased to learn that Professor Cass Sunstein has been selected by President-Elect Obama to be the Administration's new regulatory chief. This is a newly created position and the title is administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs within the Office of Management and Budget...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: KATE WINSLET - ACTRESS
Posted on January 12, 2009At tonight's Golden Globe Awards, British-born Kate Winslet pulled off the impressive feat of winning two statues - one for best actress in a supporting role for The Reader and the other for best actress in a dramatic film for Revolutionary Road. The New York resident has been nominated previously for five Oscars and is a sure bet for a nomination this year.
HEROES AMONG US
Posted on January 12, 2009ABC News has published an excerpt from correspondent John Quinones' new book Heroes Among Us. The exceprt recounts how ordinary Americans stand up to bigotry against immigrants and why despite the loud hollering by groups like FAIR and Numbers USA, Americans are fundamentally welcoming of immigrants.
ESTA SYSTEM FOR FOREIGN VISITORS NOT READY TO GO
Posted on January 11, 2009Surprise, surprise. Another hastily released rule designed to stick it to the Obama team turns out not to be ready to roll. Britain's Telegraph newspaper reportsPassengers had been told they must have clearance to fly three days ahead of their journey to avoid being denied boarding...
EFFECTIVE DATE OF E-VERIFY FEDERAL CONTRACTOR RULE BEING PUSHED BACK
Posted on January 10, 2009The Bush Administration has announced that they are postponing the implementation date of the E-Verify mandate for federal contractors until February 20, 2009 after negotiations with various parties to a lawsuit challenging the new law. Here is the US Chamber's press release: E-Verify FAR rule being postponed - Free Legal Forms
PLACEHOLDER COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM BILL INTRODUCED IN SENATE
Posted on January 10, 2009Senate Bill 9 has been introduced by Harry Reid and has not much more than a title at this point - The Stronger Economy, Stronger Borders Act of 2009. The bill's stated purpose:A bill to strengthen the United States economy, provide for more effective border and employment enforcement, and for other purposes...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: JOSEFINA SCAGLIONE - ACTRESS
Posted on January 10, 2009Argentine actress Josefina Scaglione is currently performing the lead role of Maria in the Broadway-bound revival of the classic musical West Side Story. She was discovered on, of all places YouTube. Ms. Scaglione is hardly an amateur actress. She's just played a lead role in the Argentine production of Hairspray...
THE OLD MCCAIN IS BACK!
Posted on January 09, 2009And he's working on immigration again. Excellent.
100,000 AND COUNTING
Posted on January 09, 2009USCIS announces that 100,000 employers are now using E-Verify. That number is going to go up steadily as more and more states mandate its use and federal contractors start signing up.
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: SHILPA PRIYA JAGADEESH - DIRECTOR
Posted on January 08, 2009The Washington Post recently profiled Indian-born young film director Shilpa Priya Jagadeesh (who is know to her fans as Priyabharati Joshi). Ms. Jagadeesh is currently filming a Bollywood-style movie in the Washington, DC area. The film, titled e-Preeti, is intended, according to the director, to correct misconceptions people in India have about immigrant life in America.
BUSH'S ATTORNEY GENERAL ENDS DEPORTATION DEFENSE OF INCOMPETENT LEGAL REPRESENTATION NO LONGER
Posted on January 08, 2009How many more massive changes in the immigration system can this Administration impose before they're gone? The ACLU reports on the latest blow against constitutional rights of due process:In a radical departure from years of legal precedent, Attorney General Michael Mukasey has ended the practice of allowing immigrants to reopen immigration cases that they lost because of their lawyers' mistakes or incompetence...
AMERICA'S WORST SHERIFF
Posted on January 05, 2009I've written several times about the anti-immigrant crusader Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Phoenix, Arizona. While my posts have taken Sheriff Joe to task for grandstanding to get media coverage (a Fox reality show - really?), it is starting to become clear what may be motivating him...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: T.V. RAMAN - COMPUTER SCIENTIST
Posted on January 04, 2009Today is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille, the creator of the Braille reading system used by blind people throughout the world. Most of you learned about the Braille embossed points that have been adapted in languages across the world...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: NITYA VIDYASAGAR - ACTRESS
Posted on January 03, 2009The long-running children's television show Sesame Street celebrates its 40th year on PBS this year. I was one of those toddlers that watched the show when it debuted and I'm glad the show was around when my own kids were young. Aside from all the great muppet creations on the show, there have been a lot of great "people" cast members as well...
NEW EVIDENCE IMMIGRANTS LEAVING COUNTRY
Posted on January 01, 2009I've reported on various studies showing the number of illegally present immigrants is dropping. And I've reported on the various explanations from pro and anti immigration groups. But there has been less reporting on legally present workers who may be leaving...
ARIZONA NOT PROSECUTING EMPLOYER SANCTIONS CASES
Posted on December 30, 2008My last post discussed one of two parts to the Arizona immigration law - the requirement to use E-Verify. The more controversial part of the law allows the state to revoke business licenses for employers who employ unlawfully present workers. According to a report in the Arizona Republic, after a full year in force, not a single employer has been prosecuted...
CIS OMBUDSMAN GIVES MIXED REVIEW OF ARIZONA E-VERIFY EXPERIENCE
Posted on December 30, 2008Last year at this time, we were telling Arizona employers to get their acts together and get ready to start using E-Verify. Beginning January 1, 2008, all employers in that state have been required to use the electronic employment verification system...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: DANI RODRIK - ECONOMIST
Posted on December 29, 2008Turkish-born economist Dani Rodrick is a faculty member at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He focuses on international political economy and has written a number of books and articles on "what constitutes good economic policy and why some governments are better than others in adopting it...
IMMIGRATION AS STIMULUS - 10 IDEAS FOR USING MIGRATION POLICY TO JUMP START THE ECONOMY AND CREATE JOBS
Posted on December 29, 2008Here's an update of an article I wrote a few weeks ago. I've added a few things and incorporated various reader suggestions. Many of you had great ideas on immigration policy generally, but the common denominator must be that the measures directly bring investment in the US economy or directly result in job creation...
ICE TO CUT BACK ON FORCED SEDATING OF DEPORTEES
Posted on December 29, 2008Over the past couple of years on this blog, I've reported on a number of disturbing examples of cruel and offensive treatment of those in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It's nice to be able to report on good news. According to a report in the Dallas Morning News, ICE has dramatically reduced the number of cases where the anti-psychotic drugs such as Haldol are used to forcibly sedate people being deported...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: ANNA FRIEL - ACTRESS
Posted on December 25, 2008ABC Television recently announced cancellation of Pushing Daisies, one of the most creative shows on network television. I regularly watch with my kids and we were really disappointed to hear the news that the plug was being pulled on this most enjoyable television series...
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF "DO YOU FEEL SAFER?"
Posted on December 25, 2008Detaining Polish grandmas? Really?
US CHAMBER SUES OVER FEDERAL CONTRACTOR E-VERIFY RULE
Posted on December 23, 2008The gist is that the 1996 immigration act which created E-Verify said that the program was voluntary. Also, requiring the re-verification of existing employees exceeds the statute's mandate. The suit alleges as well that the regulation exceeds the parameters of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949...
SISKIND V. THE ECONOMIST?
Posted on December 22, 2008Dave Bennion at Change.org writes a column on immigration law I read regularly and it's well worth adding to your bookmark list. Dave mentioned me in one of his latest posts in an article on immigration lawmaking during the economic crisis. Dave notes that my views on the subject are contrary to an opinion recently expressed in one of my favorite news magazines, The Economist.
FAIR FREAKING OUT OVER APPOINTMENT OF SOLIS TO SECRETARY OF LABOR
Posted on December 20, 2008Well, if FAIR felt compelled to issue a press release talking about how much the newly announced Secretary of Labor-designate, Congresswoman Hilda Solis, loves illegally present immigrants, they're pretty worried. If FAIR is upset, we can fairly chalk this up in the good news category.
IFCO NAILED FOR $21 MILLION FOR VIOLATING IMMIGRATION LAWS
Posted on December 20, 2008More evidence that enforcement is working. The next time you hear an anti moan about the US not enforcing the laws on the books, ask them to talk to an IFCO stockholder.
DHS TO BEGIN COLLECTING FINGERPRINTS AND PHOTOS OF GREEN CARD HOLDERS
Posted on December 19, 2008The next Congress has the ability to stop nonsense like this. We're not living in an Orwellian state yet, but we're getting closer when the government starts tracking the movement of everyone. Green card holders are just shy of citizens in terms of their status in this country and you can bet that citizens are next on the list if the folks who came up with this rule have their way...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: TARIQ FARID - ENTREPRENEUR
Posted on December 19, 2008Pakistan-native Tariq Farid is the founder, president and CEO of Edible Arrangements International, Inc. The company makes those gorgeous fresh fruit arrangements that resemble flower baskets and chances are one of the 800+ Edible Arrangements stores is in your area...
IMMIGRATION HUMOR: BRET AND JERMAINE ARE OVERSTAYS!
Posted on December 18, 2008Wow, the on screen alter egos of my former Immigrants of the Day have serious immigration problems. Here's the full 30 minute episode of the premiere episode of Season 2 of Flight of the Conchords. Season 2 Online Premiere - Flight of the Conchords (US Only) - watch more funny videos
NEW H-2B RULE ABOUT TO BE PUBLISHED
Posted on December 18, 2008Here is USCIS' summary of the changes. I'll have more to say after I've gone through the full text of the new rule. * Reduces from six months to three months the time an H-2B worker who has spent three years in the U.S. must reside and be physically present outside the United States before he or she is eligible to re-obtain H-2B status; * Prohibits H-2B employers and recruiters from imposing certain fees on prospective H-2B workers as a condition of securing employment; * Eliminates USCIS? current authority to adjudicate H-2B petitions where the Secretary of Labor or the...
IMMIGRATION: THE GRAPHIC
Posted on December 17, 2008Immigration to the US, 1820-2007 v2 from Ian Stevenson on Vimeo.
CBP ANNOUNCES THEY'RE UP TO 18,000 BORDER PATROL AGENTS
Posted on December 17, 2008Those who say we're not securing the border are not paying attention. Customs and Border Protection announced today that they've hired 6,000 additional agents this year and have more than 18,000 agents on staff. That's an increase of 50% since 2006. CPB announces 18,000 new border patrol agents hired - Free Legal Forms
SITE HONORING MICHAEL MAGGIO LAUNCHED
Posted on December 17, 2008When Michael Maggio passed away last February, it was a real blow to the entire immigration bar and the broader pro-immigration community. The man was a true legend in the field and his influence on immigration law will be felt for many years to come...
OMBUDSMAN: JUDGES HOLDING UP NATURALIZATIONS TO BOLSTER FUNDING FOR THE COURTS
Posted on December 17, 2008The USCIS Ombudsman has issued a report on naturalization in the US and a lot of very interesting and, in some cases, disturbing practices have been revealed. Some of the worst criticism is directed not at USCIS but at the federal district court judges that administer naturalization oaths...
BATTLING A COLD...
Posted on December 16, 2008Sorry the posts have been light for the last few days. Hopefully, things will be back to normal tomorrow.
9 IDEAS FOR USING IMMIGRATION TO STIMULATE THE US ECONOMY
Posted on December 12, 2008Anti-immigrants love recessions because they can whip up fears of foreigners coming to the US and stealing American jobs. But pro-immigration advocates can just as easily make the case that immigrants are job generators for Americans. And immigration can do even more to help the economy than is the case under the current system...
NEW I-9 COMING SOON
Posted on December 12, 2008USCIS announced on its web site today that it is releasing shortly an interim final rule on I-9s and 45 days after that a new I-9 form must be used by the nation's employers. Not a ton of changes, but there is now a separate box for claiming to be a non-citizen national (up until now there was a single box for citizens and nationals...
ECONOMY TAKES TOLL ON FOREIGN VISITOR NUMBERS
Posted on December 12, 2008The Washington Post reports on the worries. I originally had a tenth idea on my list of stimulus proposals and that dealt with visitor visas. I wanted to push to revitalize the immigration bonds tool that consular officers have available for prospective visitors to the US...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: FRANK OZ - DIRECTOR AND PUPPETEER
Posted on December 11, 2008I was one of the original Sesame Street kids, those children born in the 60s who were the first audience members of the show that revolutionized children's television. Early on in my career I had the opportunity to work on the green card petition of a puppeteer involved in creating characters for Sesame Street productions around the world...
KOSHER MEAT SHORTAGE WORSENS IN WAKE OF AGRIPROCESSORS RAID
Posted on December 11, 2008More fall out from the raid of the country's largest Kosher meat plant. The company, which supplied 60% of the Kosher beef in the US and 40% of the plant is now closed.
JANUARY 2009 VISA BULLETIN OUT
Posted on December 11, 2008A mixed bag. Family 1st - Advancement of worldwide, China and India numbers by three weeks to 15 JUN 2002. Mexico moves up a week to 1 OCT 1992 and the Philippines moves up seven weeks to 15 JUL 1993. Family 2A - Worldwide, India, China and the Philippines numbers advance six weeks to 1 MAY 2004...
BREAKING NEWS: ILLEGALLY PRESENT WORKERS CLEANING THE CHERTOFF HOUSE
Posted on December 11, 2008Unbelievable! Turns out the firm contracted to clean the Secretary of Homeland Security's Home was hiring workers unauthorized to be in the US.
PRIVACY GROUP SLAMS NPR OVER E-VERIFY UNDERWRITING
Posted on December 10, 2008I must confess that my mouth dropped open in shock the first time I heard the phrase ""Support for NPR comes from NPR stations, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), offering E-Verify, confirming the legal working of new hires. At DHS dot gov slash E-Verify...
IMMIGRATION ISSUES RELATED TO LAYOFFS AND CORPORATE DOWNSIZING
Posted on December 10, 2008I wish this article wasn't so necessary right now. The Vermont Service Center provided a couple of tips on layoff situations and I've incorporated that info in to my FAQ. Immigration Issues Related to Layoffs and Corporate Downsizing - Get more Legal Forms
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: HUGH LAURIE - ACTOR
Posted on December 10, 2008I've liked Hugh Laurie since his Blackadder comedy days on the BBC. He's now the star of the highly popular Fox drama House where he dons a pretty impressive American accent. This weekend, he'll be hosting Saturday Night Live.
ARE YOU FEELING ROSY OR GLOOMY ABOUT IMMIGRATION REFORM?
Posted on December 10, 2008Well, depending on who you listen to, immigration reform is going nowhere or it will be one of the first things taken up by the new Congress.
USCIS OMBUDSMAN RECOMMENDS EXPEDITING, CENTRALIZING NURSE GREEN CARD CASES
Posted on December 09, 2008CIS Ombudsman Schedule A Nurse Recommendation 12-5-08 - Free Legal Forms
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: ERIC RIPERT - CHEF
Posted on December 09, 2008French-born Eric Ripert is one of the nation's best known chefs. He gained fame as the chef at New York's La Bernardin restaurant and has helped the restaurant garner top ratings from the New York Times and Michelin's restaurant guide. Ripert has recently opened restaurants in Philadelphia and Washington, DC...
CAO WINS CONGRESSIONAL RACE
Posted on December 07, 2008Congrats to Anh Cao who I wrote about yesterday in my Immigrant of the Day column. He is set to become the first Vietnamese-American ever elected to Congress. He's also likely to be one of the most pro-immigration Republicans in Congress. Given the make up of the district and the enormous advantage a scandal-free Democrat will have in 2010, I'm wondering whether Cao will remain a Republican...
IS NO-MATCH RULE DEAD?
Posted on December 06, 2008It's now definitely on life-support - at least for a few more months. Judge Breyer announced today that he is denying the Bush Administration's request to expedite reviewing whether the recently issued revised social security no-match regulation satisfies the judge's objections and will convince him to lift the injunction barring DHS from implementing the massive enforcement program...
ARMED FORCES TO RECRUIT FOREIGN DOCTORS AND NURSES
Posted on December 06, 2008The Department of Defense is dropping its requirement that physicians and nurses must have green cards in response to persistent shortages in those fields. The MDs and RNs who sign on will be able to fast-track toward citizenship.
KENNEDY STEPPING DOWN AS IMMIGRATION SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR
Posted on December 06, 2008The ailing Senator is quitting the Judiciary Committee and its subcommittees and is planning on focusing on getting major health care reform passed. The Lion of the Senate will be missed on the subcommittee.
USCIS WILL NOT MAKE R-1 CURRENT VISA HOLDERS FILE I-129'S
Posted on December 06, 2008While this question was not addressed in the recently issued R-1 regulation, USCIS has just notified some of the stakeholder organizations that a worker who holds a valid R-1 issued before November 26th may travel on that visa for the duration of the visa...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: ANH "JOSEPH" CAO - CANDIDATE FOR CONGRESS
Posted on December 06, 2008There's a very interesting election in New Orleans tomorrow. Louisiana's unusual runoff rules mean that the final congressional election in the Crescent City is actually a month later than the rest of the country. The Democrat in the race is Congressman William Jefferson who has been indicted for corruption (which includes the allegation that he stuffed $90,000 from his bribes in his freezer)...
POST SCRIPT ON IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY CATALINO TAPIA
Posted on December 06, 2008About 14 months ago I wrote about Catalino Tapia, a San Francisco Bay Area gardener who was raising thousands of dollars to send local Hispanic kids to college. Mr. Tapia's work has gotten some big recognition of late. He's just been awarded a $100,000 National Purpose Prize to support his good work...
DOES FREE SPEECH COVER SITE THAT ACCUSES COMPANIES OF HIRING ILLEGAL WORKERS?
Posted on December 06, 2008The Dallas Morning News discusses the site www.wehirealiens.com which allows people to anonymously post the names of companies it suspects of hiring unlawfully present immigrants. The site's owner claims no responsibility for the accuracy of the posts and damaged companies are up in arms...
HEAD OF BOSTON DHS ARRESTED FOR HIRING ILLEGALLY PRESENT HOUSEKEEPER
Posted on December 05, 2008Seems like we've seen this basic story many times over the years. Keith Olbermann makes Lorraine Henderson the Worst Person in the World - quite the honor.
ENFORCEMENT FIRST IS WORKING
Posted on December 04, 2008Now some of my pro-immigration cohorts may be upset with me for saying this - but I think the Center for Immigration Studies is right about something important. We know from various government and other reports that the number of unlawfully present immigrants in this country has been rapidly declining over the last year or so...
ACTING USCIS HEAD RESIGNS
Posted on December 03, 2008Jock Scharfen is departing as USCIS' Acting Director just six months after taking the position. Now USCIS, ICE and the AAO are all leaderless.
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: RAMON SAMPSON - DRUMMER
Posted on December 03, 2008Not every immigrant of the day needs to be famous. Some will likely find fame later on, like 18 year old Ramon Sampson, a recent immigrant from South Africa to my home town of Memphis. Ramon was recently profiled in the Memphis Commercial Appeal for his fabulous drumming skills...
STATE DEPARTMENT GETS ALL HIP ON US
Posted on December 02, 2008Actually, this is a pretty cool. DOS has created a social networking site for J-1 exchange visitor to share their experiences. I was also impressed by the free speech on the site. Take this post from a frustrated visa applicant:In one of the sides, Department of state talks about the open doors and secured borders policy, and encourages international students to study in U...
THE SHERIFF JOE SHOW
Posted on December 02, 2008America's Voice has noted that Phoenix Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been given a reality television show on Fox television. Paco Fabien, AV's communications director explains why we should care: ?This reality series won?t capture the reality of the Latino population living in Maricopa County...
HOW MANY AMERICANS WILL GET FALSELY CAUGHT IN E-VERIFY?
Posted on November 30, 2008I've made this point before and usually the antis come out screaming that I'm making things up and E-Verify is perfect. But you've been warned.Incidentally, I am not against continuing E-Verify. But I certainly want a system set up where a worker protesting the findings will have the right to continue working until the matter is resolved once and for all...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: LUOL DENG - PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER
Posted on November 29, 2008Sudanese-born, British citizen Luol Deng is a forward for the NBA's Chicago Bulls. As a youngster, his father moved the family to Egypt to escape war in his native land. In Egypt, Luol met fellow Sudanese national Manute Bol, who would later become an NBA player and who served as Luol's mentor...
HOW THE THE CIA'S WORK PRODUCT CAN HELP YOU DOCUMENT YOUR IMMIGRATION CASE
Posted on November 27, 2008I love the title of this blog post -57 Awesome Things You Can Find in the (Public) CIA FactBook.The CIA Factbook has been around for years and I've used it to document country conditions for asylum cases, J-1 hardship briefs and other kinds of petitions...
PERMANENT RESIDENTS SUE DMV OVER SEIZED GREEN CARDS
Posted on November 27, 2008Good. One of the unintended side effects of states around the US changing drivers license rules to require people to document their legal status is that many people who are, in fact, legal, are being challenged by motor vehicle department officials. I'm sure that in most cases we're dealing with poor training...
IMMIGRATION SHOULD BE PART OF THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY PROGRAM
Posted on November 26, 2008One idea that's being discussed is creating a retiree visa for wealthy individuals who buy property in the US and don't need to work or receive any public benefits. The International Herald Tribune discusses that concept and why the time might be right for an idea that has been kicking around awhile.
HISPANIC PANIC
Posted on November 25, 2008Conservative hand wringing over the implications of the dramatic shift of Hispanic votes away from the GOP is becoming more evident. There have been a slew of articles in both general news publications and in the conservative press discussing the point...
NEO-NAZI GROUPS FINDING NEW HOME IN ANTI-IMMIGRATION MOVEMENT
Posted on November 25, 2008The Immigration Policy Center has an interesting post discussing how skinheads, militias, the Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups are becoming involved in the country's anti-immigration movement. Given that FAIR, the country's leading anti-immigrant group, has already been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, one of the country's main extremist group watchdog organizations, this is not exactly a surprise.
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: CHARLES LIANG - ENTREPRENEUR
Posted on November 24, 2008Taiwanese-born Charles Liang is the co-founder and CEO of Super Micro Computer, a company that received very favorable coverage in this morning's New York Times. Super Micro Computer is now 15 years old and has 850 employees. The company sells $600 million a year of servers to major companies like Yahoo! and eBay...
60 MINUTES WIDOWER STORY NOW ONLINE
Posted on November 24, 2008In case you missed it. Thank you CBS News for bringing this story to the public's attention. Watch CBS Videos Online
IMMIGRATION HUMOR: THE ORIGINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS
Posted on November 24, 2008I posted this last year, but its Thanksgiving so here goes.
REID: IMMIGRATION REFORM WILL BE EASY TO DEAL WITH IN THE NEXT CONGRESS
Posted on November 24, 2008Wow. So much for everyone saying immigration needs to be put off because the Democrats don't want to get in to a bruising fight or because the issues are too complicated. Here's what Reid said about immigration reform to the Detroit Free Press:Q: With more Democrats in the Senate and the House and a Democrat in the White House, how do you see congressional efforts playing out on such issues as health care and immigration?A: On immigration, there's been an agreement between (President-elect Barack) Obama and (Arizona Republican Sen...
FAQ'S FOR THE NEW NEW R-1 RELIGIOUS WORKER REGULATION
Posted on November 24, 2008This one's a biggie. The regulation was in the works for years, but Congress gave the final push by making releasing the reg a condition to extending the special immigrant immigrant category for religious workers. I worked through the 88 page advance copy of the regulation over the weekend and here' my question and answer document on the new R-1 religious worker program...
22 MEMBERS OF ANTI-IMMIGRANT CAUCUS IN HOUSE WON'T BE BACK IN 2009
Posted on November 22, 2008Don't let the door hit you on the way out. Here is the list of casualties:Richard Baker (R-La.), 60, 11 termsNancy Boyda (D-Kan.), 53, 1 termBud Cramer (D-Ala.), 61, 9 terms Barbara Cubin (R-Wyo.), 61, 7 termsDavid Davis (R-Tenn.), 48, 1 termJohn Doolittle (R-Calif...
The conventional wisdom of many
Posted on November 22, 2008The conventional wisdom of many in the Democratic Caucus is that members of the Blue Dog Coalition of moderate and conservative Democrats are likely to vote with Republicans against pro-immigration measures. But do the voting records of the 47 members of the Blue Dog Coalition really back this up? If we look at the ratings from the anti-immigrant NumbersUSA organization (www...
VELAZQUEZ TAKES LEADERSHIP HELM OF CONGRESSIONAL HISPANIC CAUCUS
Posted on November 21, 2008NY Democratic Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez will take over leadership of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in the next Congress. Congresswoman Velázquez is a strong advocate for immigration reform and will no doubt play a leading role on the issue in the next Congress...
60 MINUTES TO RUN STORY ON WIDOW PENALTY
Posted on November 21, 2008CBS' 60 Minutes is running a story on a little known, but very serious problem in US immigration law:FOR BETTER OR WORSE - Foreigners who marry Americans are entitled to become permanent residents of the U.S., but in a stricter post-9/11 world, hundreds of widows are being asked to leave the country because their husbands died - even some whose children were born in the U...
A THANKSGIVING READING
Posted on November 21, 2008We've just had my firm's annual Thanksgiving potluck lunch and I'm just a little sleepy from all the great food. My colleague Jack Richbourg read a nice reading that he heard at his church and which was certainly appropriate given the kind of work we do and I thought I'd share it with you...
ARIZONA GOVERNOR JANET NAPOLITANO TO HEAD DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Posted on November 20, 2008Arizona's Governor Janet Napolitano will be the next Secretary of Homeland Security. Governor Napolitano has signed some of the nation's toughest immigration laws, but she has also spoken out on the need to for Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform...
STUDENT AND EXCHANGE VISITOR VISAS INCREASING
Posted on November 20, 2008Some good news after years of bad. F, J and M visa issuance was up to a record high 710,631 in fiscal year 2008 which ended September 30th. That's extraordinarily good news for the US. Those that stay will help to rebuild out economy and bring vital skills needed for us to compete globally...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: WAYNE KRAMER - FILMMAKER
Posted on November 20, 2008The writer/director of Crossing Over, the film whose clip I posted just now, is South African immigrant Wayne Kramer. Kramer has directed major films like The Cooler and Running Scared. He's a really versatile filmmaker with credits for writing, directing, producing, editing and storyboard artist...
MAJOR NEW HOLLYWOOD MOVIE TAKES ON THE IMMIGRATION DEBATE
Posted on November 20, 2008When Harrison Ford, Sean Penn, Ashley Judd and Ray Liotta are in a movie, you know it's must see. According to IMDB, Crossing Over is a multi-character canvas about immigrants of different nationalities struggling to achieve legal status in Los Angeles...
ZOGBY POLLS FOR HATE GROUP
Posted on November 20, 2008Zogby International used to be considered one of the more reliable polling organizations in the US. But the firm has come under considerable fire of late for who it accepts money from and the nature of the polling work it is doing for these groups. Earlier this week, the firm drew fire for what appears to be "push polling" conducted for an extreme right wing web site...
OBAMA NAMES TRANSITION ADVISORS ON IMMIGRATION POLICY
Posted on November 20, 2008They're going to be Alex Aleinikoff and Tino Cuéllar. To the extent immigration reform is an important part of the new President's early agenda, these two folks will play a key role. Here's the Obama team's bios on the two:T. Alexander Aleinikoff has been Dean of the Georgetown University Law Center and Executive Vice President of Georgetown University since July 2004...
CONDOLEEZA RICE URGES GOP TO EMBRACE IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on November 19, 2008Another prominent figure in the Republican Party urges her party to change its ways on immigration. Rice tells the New York Times: IMMIGRATION POLICY IS FOREIGN POLICY. We didn?t get comprehensive immigration reform. . . . I think everybody knows that this president tried...
ROVE: GOP NOT SUPPORTING COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM OR RISK IS "SUICIDAL"
Posted on November 18, 2008Karl Rove warned the GOP about this years ago and it is why he banned Tom Tancredo from the White House. Here's what he writes this week in Newsweek:Hispanics dropped from 44 percent Republican in 2004 to 31 percent in 2008. The GOP won't be a majority party if it cedes the young or Hispanics to Democrats...
VISA WAIVER PROGRAM NOW OFFICIALLY OPEN TO SEVEN NEW COUNTRIES
Posted on November 17, 2008Welcome news for a country that needs as many tourist dollars as we can get right now. Effective today, the new countries on the list are the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Republic of Korea and the Slovak Republic.
FAQ ON NEW E-VERIFY FEDERAL CONTRACTOR RULE
Posted on November 16, 2008Still a work in progress, so feel free to make suggestions. FAQ on Federal Contractor rule - Get more Business Documents
IMMIGRATION AND OUR SERVICEMEN AND SERVICEWOMEN
Posted on November 16, 2008The Chicago Reporter has a great article reviewing many of the issues confronting our nation's soldiers.
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: ALBERTO RIVERON - NFL REFEREE
Posted on November 16, 2008The New York Times had a story on the front page of the Sunday Sports section this morning profiling Cuban-born Alberto Riveron, one of the first Hispanic officials in the National Football League. It takes years to work up to ranks before one of the coveted NFL jobs opens and Riveron spent 15 seasons officiating college games before getting his NFL break.
PRO-IMMIGRATION MARTINEZ STRUGGLES FOR PLACE IN GOP
Posted on November 15, 2008Mel Martinez is one of the most visible members of a club with an increasingly smaller membership - pro-immigration Republicans. The Florida Senator is joined by John McCain, Sam Brownback, Arlen Specter and a few others in the Senate, but those ranks could grown even smaller...
ANTI-IMMIGRANT LUNGREN TO COMPETE FOR REPUBLICAN HOUSE LEADERSHIP
Posted on November 15, 2008California Republican Dan Lungren has announced he will challenge House Minority Leader John Boehner next week for leadership of the Republican Caucus in the US House of Representatives. Lungren scores an "A" on anti-immigrant NumbersUSA's scorecard for immigration voting records...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: FRANK GEHRY - ARCHITECT
Posted on November 15, 2008I graduated college in December 1986 and I had nine months before I was to start law school. I was lucky enough to land a job in between as an architectural surveyor for the Metropolitan Historical Commission in my college town of Nashville, Tennessee...
GOP POLLSTER: IF THE PARTY CAN'T REVERSE HISPANIC LOSSES, IT WON'T WIN AGAIN
Posted on November 14, 2008Hopefully, the chorus of warnings from the GOP's own will seep in.
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: ODED "MAX" BRENNER - CHOCALATIER
Posted on November 13, 2008Israeli-born Oded "Max" Brenner is bringing a "chocolate culture" to the United States and if the rave reviews of his two US restaurants in NY are an indicator, he's succeeding wildly. Brenner has opened 18 other Max Brenner chocolate shops and restaurants outside the US, but the American market is now his main priority...
E-VERIFY FEDERAL CONTRACTOR RULE GOES FINAL
Posted on November 13, 2008Here's the big rule that could cause millions of employers to look seriously at signing up for E-Verify. In short, if you want to do business with the federal government, you're likely going to need to use the electronic verification system. I'm working through this 275 page document and hope to have a summary available soon...
PALIN: LOSING THE HISPANIC VOTE WAS KEY REASON THEY LOST
Posted on November 12, 2008Sarah Palin told NBC's Matt Lauer this morning that one of the major reasons the GOP lost the presidency this year was the ticket's failure to win over Hispanic voters in sufficient numbers. The liberal blog The Daily Kos seems to get this as well as it analyzes how the GOP blew it with Latino voters...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: PADMA LAKSHMI - COOKBOOK AUTHOR, TV SHOW HOST, MODEL
Posted on November 12, 2008Indian-born fashion model Padma Lakshmi is a good example of someone who has pulled off a successful second act in life. She was a top fashion model for several years and graced the covers of several magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Newsweek (shown here)...
ANTIS IN CONGRESS SUFFER HUGE LOSSES
Posted on November 12, 200810 of 13 incumbent Republicans who lost seats last week were members of the notoriously anti-immigrant Immigration Reform Caucus. In 19 or 21 House races where immigration was a major issue, the more pro-immigration candidate won. In the Senate, 5 pros beat 5 antis in races where immigration was an issue...
ICE MAY NOT REVEAL RESULTS OF OBAMA AUNT LEAK INVESTIGATION
Posted on November 12, 2008This certainly doesn't inspire confidence in the agency.
GOOD GOVERNMENT: EDUCATION DEPARTMENT LAUNCHES SITE TO HELP IMMIGRANTS LEARN ENGLISH
Posted on November 12, 2008The US Department of Education has launched a free web-based service to help immigrants improve their English language skills. Some may remember that his was one of the initiatives Secretary Chertoff announced in his big speech last summer in the list of 26 major immigration reforms.
THE IMMIGRANT HEALTH CARE DILEMMA
Posted on November 09, 2008The New York Times Deborah Sontag has written one of the best reports I've so far seen on the difficult subject of health care and immigrants. Sontag's story focuses on what hospitals do who receive seriously injured and ill immigrant patients - both legally and illegally present - who lack health insurance...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: MEL MARTINEZ - US SENATOR
Posted on November 09, 2008Mel Martinez is a Cuban-born Republican US Senator from Florida. He came to the US as a refugee in 1962 as part of Operation Peter Pan, a Catholic Church-sponsored initiative that brought 14,000 children to the United States. Senator Martinez practiced law for 25 years in his home town of Orlando and was elected in 2004 to replace Democrat Bob Graham...
DHS FILES MOTIONS TO END NO-MATCH INJUNCTION
Posted on November 08, 2008November 21st is the date of the hearing. Motion to Vacate Prel Injunction - Free Legal Forms
FORMER GOP GOVERNOR: LOSS OF LATINO VOTE COULD KEEP REPUBLICANS PERMANENTLY IN THE MINORITY
Posted on November 07, 2008Unfortunately, too many Republicans still think the anti-immigration position of the party is working for them. Former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar knows better. When exit polls from Tuesday show 68% of Latinos think the GOP is anti-immigrant, you've got a problem...
DECEMBER VISA BULLETIN OUT
Posted on November 07, 2008Some okay news on family visas. Generally bad news on employment numbers. Here are the highlights: Family 1st - Advancement of worldwide, China and India numbers by three weeks to 22 May 2002. Mexico moves up a week to 22 September 1992 and the Philippines moves up a month to 1 June 1993...
COULD H-1BS BE PART OF STIMULUS BILL?
Posted on November 07, 2008Some are talking. Anti-H-1B Computerworld writer Patrick Thibodeau is concerned enough that he's trying to rile up the troops.
USCIS TO SPEND $500 MILLION TO DEVELOP PAPERLESS PROCESSING
Posted on November 07, 2008Electronic filing and processing of immigration applications has been something USCIS has been promising for years, but we're still stuck with an agency with mid-90s technology. Does USCIS really mean it this time?
TALK OF CABINET POSTS FOR LATINOS, BUT NOT IMMIGRATION
Posted on November 07, 2008Hopefully, the nation's Latino community will be paid back for their substantial contribution in the election of the President in more than just a few appointments.
PRO-IMMIGRATION SLATE WINS CITY COUNCIL
Posted on November 07, 2008This is the first I've heard of a slate of candidates making a pro-immigration agenda their primary campaign issue take over a local city council. This should be interesting.
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: SONAL SHAH - ADVISOR TO OBAMA TRANSITION TEAM
Posted on November 07, 2008President-Elect Obama has just announced the members of the team of advisers who will be making recommendations on the appointment of officials in the new Administration. One of those advisers will be Sonal Shah, an Indian-born economist who is on Google's global development team...
OBAMA'S AUNT TO FIGHT REMOVAL
Posted on November 07, 2008My friend Margaret Wong is trying to help the President-Elect's aunt reopen her case and seek a legal way to remain in the US. Good luck, Margaret and Aunt Zeituni.
ELECTION RECAP
Posted on November 06, 2008The results from the election are still not entirely settled, but the dust is beginning to settle and we can begin analyzing the election results and making predictions about what the future holds. The White House First and foremost, we will have four more years of a pro-immigration President...
AGRIPROCESSORS DECLARES BANKRUPTCY AS KOSHER MEAT SHORTAGE WORSENS
Posted on November 06, 2008The nation's largest Kosher meat and poultry processing plant has declared bankruptcy in the wake of a massive immigration raid and criminal charges being filed against high level officials of the company. The company is still operating, though it is down to a fraction of the staff that previously worked at the company...
WAS ICE CHIEF MYERS' ABRUPT RESIGNATION TIED TO OBAMA AUNT SCANDAL?
Posted on November 06, 2008This would explain the unusual timing of the resignation. Most agency heads stay on until at least the inauguration and sometimes until the new agency chief is confirmed by the Senate. Tim Dickenson of Rolling Stone Magazine has asked the question and is on the case...
PHOTOS FROM THE U OF C LAW SCHOOL OBAMA PARTY
Posted on November 06, 2008Those of us who are products of the University of Chicago Law School are extremely proud of faculty member President-Elect Barack Obama. A couple of other faculty members are said to be on the short list for senior Administration positions and even the Supreme Court...
ARIZONA VOTERS PASS MEASURE SOFTENING IMMIGRATION BILL
Posted on November 05, 2008The bill ratifying recent legislative changes passes easily.
ICE'S JULIE MYERS RESIGNS
Posted on November 05, 2008DHS announces that the head of ICE will be gone by November 15th. She would likely be replaced in a few months anyway when President-Elect Obama names his choice for the job.
LATINO VOTERS EXPECTED TO HEAVILY FAVOR OBAMA
Posted on November 04, 2008America's Voice has released this helpful chart to give folks an idea of what to look for when analyzing tomorrow's Latino vote. Polling for the past several weeks has shown McCain getting between 25% and 33% in most surveys, a substantial drop from 2004...
LATE POLL: LATINO VOTE SURGING TOWARD OBAMA
Posted on November 04, 2008Barack Obama's share of the Latino vote jumped eight percent in the final days of the campaign, according to a Zogby poll taken between October 30th and November 2nd. The poll showed Obama getting 78% of the Latino vote compared to 70% at the beginning of October.
OBAMA WINS AMERICAN PRESIDENCY
Posted on November 04, 2008Congratulations to President-Elect Barack Obama!
PALIN SUPPORTS PATH TO LEGALIZATION FOR ILLEGALLY PRESENT IMMIGRANTS
Posted on November 03, 2008While John McCain, Barack Obama and Joe Biden all have solidly pro-immigration records, less is known about the positions of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. The governor has indicated, however, that her views are consistent with her running mate and that she would seek to find a path to citizenship for many of the millions of illegally present immigrants in the country...
ARIZONA VOTERS TO DECIDE ON IMMIGRATION REFERENDUM
Posted on November 03, 2008There are not very many immigration measures on ballots around the country tomorrow, but Arizona voters will decide on a referendum that many legislators around the country will be watching. The measure would add a number of business-friendly changes to one of the nation's toughest immigration laws...
FRAGOMEN FORCES DOL TO BACK DOWN
Posted on November 03, 2008Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen and Loewy has prevailed in its effort to get the Department of Labor to reverse its audit of the firm's PERM applications and to clear its name. In a settlement agreement approved today by the court, the DOL has been forced to withdraw the ridiculously unfair press releases announcing the audit of the firms' clients PERM petitions...
KOSHER BEEF SHORTAGE LOOMS AS AGRIPROCESSORS NEARS COLLAPSE
Posted on November 03, 2008It's hard to have a lot of sympathy for Agriprocessors, a company that appears to have acted in a pretty brazen fashion not only in hiring illegally present workers, but in how it allegedly treated those workers. On the other hand, the meat and poultry industry in this country has been placed in a no win situation where it can choose between hiring illegal workers, going without US workers or simply moving its operations overseas...
ICE REFERS OBAMA AUNT MATTER TO GENERAL INSPECTOR
Posted on November 02, 2008By now you've probably heard about Barack Obama's half-aunt who was revealed to be living illegally in Boston since the denial of her asylum petition four years ago. The Obama campaign released a statement yesterday indicating they had no knowledge of the aunt's status and that he had not spoken with her in over two years...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: PHIL KEOGHAN - TELEVISION PERSONALITY
Posted on November 02, 2008I am not a big fan of most reality television shows, but one big exception is CBS' The Amazing Race. I watch it religiously with my kids every Sunday night and it's a fun way for us to see the world from our living room. One of the ingredients that makes the show a hit is Phil Keoghan, the show's New Zealand-born host...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: IRSHAD MANJI - ACTIVIST
Posted on October 31, 2008Today's New York Times has an opinion piece by activist Irshad Manji that caught my attention. Ms. Manji writes about her experience on October 31, 1972 when the family arrived for entry as refugees in Montreal. They were fleeing Uganda after Idi Amin decided to kick out the Indians who had helped over generations to build up the economy of the central African country...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: PETER CAREY - AUTHOR
Posted on October 30, 2008Australian writer Peter Carey is an award-winning author of works like Oscar and Lucinda and True History of the Kelly Gang. The 65 year old is a long time resident of New York and also the Director of the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Hunter College...
AGGRAVATION FOR AGRIPROCESSORS
Posted on October 30, 2008Agriprocessors, the large Iowa meatpacking company that was the site of a massive work site raid in May, has been fined $10,000,000, the largest penalty ever levied against an American company for immigration-related violations. And ICE announced yesterday that one of the company's human resource managers has plead guilty to harboring illegal aliens and aggravated identity theft...
MCCAIN VERSUS OBAMA: WHERE THE CANDIDATES STAND ON IMMIGRATION
Posted on October 29, 2008My friend Steven Thal has co-written an article on this topic here on ILW.com and its very thorough. Get out and vote!
MAYOR BLOOMBERG: MEMO TO THE NEXT PRESIDENT ON IMMIGRATION
Posted on October 28, 2008New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg wrote a detailed memorandum to the next President in the latest Newsweek Magazine. The mayor succinctly lays out the case for immigration reform being included in the First 100 Days agenda: Pioneering green energy?and countless other new technologies?requires the best and brightest minds...
USE IMMIGRATION TO REBUILD THE AMERICAN ECONOMY
Posted on October 28, 2008Want to stimulate the US housing market and create jobs? Take advantage of the fact that many people around the world are still anxious to become American and put their capital and entrepreneurial spirit to work. Dori Segal and Brian Lee Crowley have come up with a creative plan that has two primary elements:America should immediately offer fast-track immigration to foreigners willing to do two things...
TANCREDO CONTEMPLATING RUN FOR COLORADO GOVERNOR?
Posted on October 28, 2008Hard to say whether the anti-immigrant soon to be former member of the House of Representatives was kidding or floating a trial balloon.
NILC ISSUES ADVISORY MEMO TO CLEAR UP CONFUSION OVER NO-MATCH RULE
Posted on October 28, 2008no-match_PI_2008-10-23 - Free Legal Forms
NO-MATCH UPDATE
Posted on October 27, 2008To say that the DHS has been confusing the public with the announcement of its final no-match rule is an understatement. Now after saying that the rule might not be published for a few weeks (presumably to ge the judge's sign off first), now we're learning that the rule will be published tomorrow (hat tip to Dan Kowalski for letting us know)...
CHUCK TODD: HISPANICS ARE KEY TO AN OBAMA WIN
Posted on October 27, 2008The media may be focusing on the turnout of African-Americans and young voters, but another group will also be critical, according to the Chuck Todd, NBC News' political head honcho. Todd sees Hispanics as the key to winning critical western states like Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico...
IMMIGRANTS OF THE DAY: IMMIGRANT PLAYERS ON THE TAMPA BAY RAYS
Posted on October 26, 2008Lest you think that the World Series is not really a "world"championship, look no further than the rosters of the teams. Just like the Philadelphia Phillies who I wrote about the other day, their World Series opponent, the Tampa Bay Rays, also have a number of immgrant players...
DHS WON'T IMPLEMENT NO-MATCH RULE UNTIL JUDGE OKAYS
Posted on October 24, 2008Secretary Chertoff has indicated that the agency will NOT implement the no-match rule until a judge that enjoined the 2007 rule signs off. This appears to contradict the language in the preamble in the proposed rule which indicated DHS did not need the judge's approval...
IMMIGRANTS OF THE DAY: THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Posted on October 23, 2008The National League champs from Philadelphia were the 3-2 victors in tonight's opening game of the 105t Major League Baseball World Series. Each team has a number of immigrants from a variety of countries making this truly a WORLD Series. Tonight I honor the immigrant ballplayers on the Phillies...
DHS TO ANNOUNCE NEW NO-MATCH RULE
Posted on October 23, 2008Secretary Chertoff will have a press conference today to discuss the nrule and also talk about the state of immigration enforcement at 11:30 eastern time this morning.
PELOSI INDICATES DEMOCRATS WILL MOVE ON IMMIGRATION REFORM
Posted on October 23, 2008From an interview in today's Los Angeles Times:Pelosi also said Congress would have to tackle the politically sticky job of overhauling immigration laws in the new Congress, after a bipartisan measure collapsed last year.The estimated 12 million immigrants in the U...
SUMMARY OF NEW NO-MATCH RULE
Posted on October 23, 2008[Here is my detailed FAQ on the new no-match rule from DHS as well as an initial overview of the convoluted history behind today's announcement. The rule is identical to the March 2008 proposed rule and virtually identical to the August 2007 rule which explains my speed in getting this online]...
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT GIVES BLESSING TO NO MATCH RULE
Posted on October 23, 2008Concerns about whether complying with the safe harbor provisions of the No-Match rule released today by DHS will expose employers to liability under IRCA's anti-discrimination rules (which are enforced by the Justice Department) have been addressed in a statement published by DOJ online today:An employer that receives an SSA no-match letter and terminates employees without attempting to resolve the mismatches, or who treats employees differently or otherwise acts with the purpose or intent to discriminate based upon national origin or other prohibited characteristics, may be found by OSC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination...
DHS IGNORES COURT AND PUBLISHES NEW FINAL NO MATCH RULE
Posted on October 23, 2008Despite the fact that a District Court judge has issued a preliminary injunction barring the Department of Homeland Security from implementing its No-Match rule, the agency has released a new rule that is identical to the proposed rule issued last spring (which was virtually identical to the 2007 rule enjoined by Judge Brier)...
FAQ: IMMIGRATION ISSUES RELATED TO LAYOFFS AND CORPORATE DOWNSIZING
Posted on October 21, 2008[Readers: This is an article that is still a work in progress and I encourage your feedback on additional subjects and questions to cover. I've recently been contacted by a number of folks facing this very difficult situation and I thought I would get this article online as quickly as possible...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI - STATESMAN
Posted on October 21, 2008Maybe its a state of the times that Zbigniew Brzezinski's daughter Mika, co-host of MSNBC's popular Morning Joe political chat show, is probably better known than her father. The Polish-born Professor Brzezinski was, however, President Carter's National Security Advisor...
"TODAY WE MARCH, TOMORROW WE VOTE"
Posted on October 21, 2008Remember those words chanted during the immigration protests in 2006? I'm sure a few people will regret ignoring that warning given reports that are popping up on voter registration efforts in immigrant communities. Nearly one million Latino immigrants have naturalized since the summer of 1986...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: MARIA GOMES-SOLECKI - RESEARCH SCIENTIST
Posted on October 18, 2008Portugal-born Dr. Maria Gomes-Solecki is the founder of Biopeptides Corp., a biotech firm that is testing a vaccine intended to protect people from Lyme Disease. Dr. Gomes-Solecki recently relocated her research team to my hometown of Memphis since her husband moved her to work at the world famous St...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: MARIA DA SILVA - CNN HERO
Posted on October 18, 2008CNN has nominated twelve individuals for a community service hero award. One is Maria Da Silva, a native of Malawi. The Los Angeles nanny is funding a school in her native country in order to help fight the impact of AIDs, a disease that has killed fourteen of her family members and which infects 14% of the Malawi adult population...
MICROSOFT BACKS AID PLAN FOR IMMIGRANT KIDS
Posted on October 18, 2008Kudos to Microsoft for taking on a cause that other corporations would probably ignore. The Redmond, Washington high tech company will fund an initiative in nine cities to ensure that detained immigrant children who arrived in the US on their own receive legal assistance...
BUSH ANNOUNCES VISA WAIVER LIST EXPANSION
Posted on October 18, 2008President Bush has announced, as expected, that seven countries are being added to the list of Visa Waiver countries: Czech Republic Estonia Hungary Latvia Lithuania Slovakia South Korea The President had a press conference where he made the announcement, but indicated that the change would happen soon as opposed to immediately...
LAS VEGAS BECOMES LATEST 287(g) CITY
Posted on October 18, 2008The police department of America's playground is the latest to sign a pact with Immigration and Customs enforcement to turn over immigrants in their custody to the immigration enforcement agency. The local sheriff promises that only immigrants in the city's jails will be turned over and cops on the beat won't seek out immigrants to turn over to ICE...
HEADS UP: E-VERIFY RULE LIKELY WILL BE OUT IN NEXT FEW WEEKS
Posted on October 15, 2008DHS has sent its draft regulations regarding requiring federal contractors to use E-Verify to the Office of Management and Budget for a final review. Expect the rule to be published very soon. Don't be surprised if a lawsuit is filed to block the rule from taking effect because DHS is expected to state that the rule will not be economically significant, something that is necessary for the rule to be fast tracked.
USCIS ANNOUNCES TN ENTRY PERIOD BEING EXTENDED FROM ONE TO THREE YEARS
Posted on October 14, 2008Really good news. I don't have the link yet, but here's the text from the USCIS press release: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has increased the maximum period of time a Trade-NAFTA (TN) professional worker from Canada or Mexico may remain in the United States before seeking readmission or obtaining an extension of stay...
NOVEMBER VISA BULLETIN OUT
Posted on October 14, 2008The new bulletin is here. Here are the highlights: Family 1st - Advancement of worldwide, China and India numbers by two weeks to 1 May 2002. Mexico moves up a week to 15 September 1992 and the Philippines moves up a month to 1 May 1993. Family 2A - Worldwide, India, China and the Philippines numbers advance five weeks to 8 February 2004...
MCCAIN STILL NOT ABLE TO REVERSE DAMAGE WITH HISPANIC VOTERS
Posted on October 13, 2008Whether John McCain really meant it or was just trying to sway right wing anti-immigrant Republicans when he said he would no longer support his immigration reform bill, Hispanics are not giving him the benefit of the doubt.
BLOGGING FROM BUENOS AIRES
Posted on October 12, 2008Hi Folks - I'm speaking at the annual meeting of the International Bar Association in Buenos Aires, Argentina this week. I'll be blogging, but not as much as usual. In the mean time, I'll be thinking of you as I chow down gnocci and dulce de leche (but not together).
THE FIRST 100 DAYS
Posted on October 10, 2008As Barack Obama continues to enjoy a wide lead in national opinion polls, a number of news organizations report that the Democrat is already planning for the transition including planning appointments and legislative strategy. While some may think this is presumptuous, it's actually incredibly responsible given the frightenting situation in the world right now...
CHERTOFF REMARKS HINT THAT VISA WAIVER PROGRAM WILL BE EXPANDED TO SLOVAK NATIONALS
Posted on October 09, 2008Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff commented yesterday on a crime and security agreement reached with the Slovak government: So before I turn it over to the Minister, I want to emphasize that we remain committed to Visa Waiver Program expansion at the earliest opportunity...
IMMIGRATION NOT COMING UP IN THE DEBATES
Posted on October 08, 2008After three debates involving the Obama-Biden and McCain-Palin candidates, the one subject that has not come up is immigration. And I don't think it is a coincidence. Public opinion polls are showing the issue has dropped dramatically on the list of important subjects for Americans...
EVIDENCE PILES UP THAT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION TO THE US IS DRAMATICALLY DOWN
Posted on October 08, 2008I've been reporting on this for a little while. DHS is now reporting that the number of apprehensions near the US-Mexico has fallen substantially - 78% - since this time last year. The government believes that fewer people are attempting to cross since enforcement resources have been increasing, not decreasing...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: OSAMU SHIMOMURA - NOBEL PRIZE WINNER
Posted on October 08, 2008Osamu Shimomura, a Japanese-born professor emeritus at Boston University, is the winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry. The prize, awarded today, honors Professor Shimomura for discovering green fluorescent protein, or GFP, which allows researchers to develop methods for observing the behavior of proteins in living cells...
PHOENIX BUSINESS OWNERS GROW MORE ANXIOUS OVER IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT
Posted on October 08, 2008The Phoenix Business Journal is reporting that there has been a surge in tips being filed with the Phoenix Sheriff's office against employers allegedly hiring illegally present immigrants. In the mean time, the Arizona Republic newspaper reports that a rash of immigration raids by the sheriff against employers in Chandler and the East Valley will have a chilling effect and drive employers out of the area.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS MORE LIKELY TO BE CURRENT ON THEIR MORTGAGES
Posted on October 08, 2008Lest people decide to play a blame game, it's important to get the facts out early.
WASHINGTON POST: END HIV IMMIGRATION BAR NOW!
Posted on October 07, 2008The Washington Post has written an editorial taking the Department of Health and Human Services to task for ignoring Congress' call to take HIV off the list of health conditions that require waivers to immigrate. HHS has responded saying that they're working on it and hoping to get something out before the next President takes office...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: YOICHIRU NAMBU - NOBEL PRIZE WINNER IN PHYSICS
Posted on October 07, 2008It was great to see the following alumni email arrive this afternoon from The University of Chicago where I attended law school regarding Japanese-born Professor Yoichiro Nambu: I am delighted to tell you that Yoichiro Nambu, the Harry Pratt Judson Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in Physics and the Enrico Fermi Institute, has been awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physics...
ICE LAUNCHES ANOTHER MEGA-RAID AT A SOUTH CAROLINA POULTRY PLANT
Posted on October 07, 2008ICE has been launched another raid at a food processing facility, this time a poultry plant in South Carolina. Regrettably, these raids will drive food prices up at a time when Americans can really not afford to spend more money. Illegal immigration has been dropping dramatically since DHS launched its enforcement campaign last summer...
BUSH ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES IT MAY YANK "INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE" DEFENSE IN IMMIGRATION PROCEEDINGS
Posted on October 07, 2008This is really, really disturbing news. I have seen many, many cases in my years in practice where people received incompetent representation and their lives have been wrecked. An individual can sometimes ask a judge to take a look at the record and if the judge agrees that poor lawyering seriously damaged the client, the judge can take this in to consideration...
WHAT THE ECONOMIC CRISIS MEANS FOR IMMIGRATION POLICY
Posted on October 06, 2008Karoun Demirjian of Congressional Quarterly has an interesting take on how immigration politics may change in 2009.
VISA WAIVER STATUS COULD BE COMING SOON FOR ISRAELIS
Posted on October 06, 2008This has been talked about for a while. There are a number of other countries also expected to shortly be added to the list of Visa Waiver countries including several in Eastern Europe. Nationals of Visa Waiver countries can enter the US in visitor status without a visa stamp in their passport...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: PAPI - MOVIE STAR
Posted on October 05, 2008OK, my kids suggested this one. We saw the very cute Disney movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua last night and it deals on a subtle level with Anglo-Hispanic relations. One of the lead characters is Papi, the landscaping dog, voiced by comedian George Lopez...
NY TIMES ENDORSES RECAPTURE BILL
Posted on October 03, 2008Kudos to the Times for bringing attention to an immigration issue the rest of the media is ignoring. Hat tip to those who sent me the link.
CBP GOES ALL TECHIE ON US
Posted on October 03, 2008Wow, US Customs and Border Protection, the folks that inspect us at ports of entry, has posted a desktop "widget" on its web site that allows you to countdown to your trip, see the weather at your destination and advises you on entry requirements.
OUTRAGE OF THE DAY: HHS IGNORS CONGRESS AND KEEPS HIV ON LIST OF DISEASES
Posted on October 03, 2008Despite the fact that Congress has now repealed the specific statutory exclusion of HIV-positive individuals from the US, the default rule allowing the US Department of Health and Human Services to come up with its own list of diseases mandating inadmissibility still has HIV on it...
MILITARY PERSONNEL CITIZENSHIP PROCESSING ACT HEADS TO PRESIDENT FOR SIGNATURE
Posted on October 02, 2008Kudos to Congress for passing S. 2840 which will require adjudication of naturalization applications for active duty soldiers and former members of the armed services as well as surviving dependents. USCIS will have six months to adjudicate cases. According to AILA, the bill will also establish an FBI liaison at USCIS and set processing deadlines for other naturalizationc cases.
USCIS IGNORES CONGRESS AND CONTINUES TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST HIV POSITIVE PEOPLE
Posted on October 02, 2008In July, Congress voted to scrap the ban on travel by HIV-positive individuals. This week USCIS announced it is going to issue regulations to "streamline" the entry process for HIV-positive people rather than following the directive of Congress and ending the ban...
OUTRAGE OF THE DAY: ICE MISTAKENLY RAIDS HOME OF ELDERLY US CITIZEN
Posted on October 02, 2008Is this really what we want our country to be about? The galling thing is that when a horrible mistake like this happens (and I understand mistakes happen), no apology was made. Here's the video report. Hat tip to Dan K. for this.
REPORT FINDS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION SLOWING
Posted on October 02, 2008The Pew Hispanic Center estimates the number of illegally present immigrants entering the US each year has dropped from 800,000 to 500,000 just in the last few years. They don't specify why this is happening except to acknowledge the two reasons being touted by advocacy groups:The estimates are not designed to explain why the net growth rate has declined...
SOME GOOD NEWS FOR REFUGEES
Posted on October 02, 2008I've blogged in the past about a lingering problem related to the 1996 welfare reform bill that relates to certain immigrants. Under that law, elderly refugees were given a seven year cutoff period after which they were no longer eligible to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI)...
PLEASE DON'T VOTE
Posted on October 02, 2008A cute video reminding people that the register deadline to vote in the presidential election is coming up quickly. For those readers who are not US citizens yet, please pass this link on to your American citizen friends and family members. [Warning - There's some salty language in here...
ICE DUPED BY DETENTION CENTER CONTRACTOR
Posted on October 02, 2008This really inspires confidence in the nation's immigration enforcement agency. ICE contracts out the running of its detention centers in many cases to private corporations (which should make you nervous). It now turns out that the contractor running a detention center in Washington State may have hired guards without doing background checks and then covered up the fact...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: SAFRA CATZ - BUSINESS LEADER
Posted on September 29, 2008Israeli-born Safra Catz is the co-president of Oracle Corporation. She also serves as the mega-company's Chief Financial Officer. Catz was honored today by being named to Fortune Magazine's list of the 50 most powerful women in America. According to the magazine:As Larry Ellison's right-hand woman overseeing day-to-day operations, Catz has led Oracle through more than 40 acquisitions in four years and has helped deliver four years of EPS growth of 20% or more annually...
AMERICANS LOSE INTEREST IN IMMIGRATION
Posted on September 29, 2008The number of Americans who think immigration is the country's most serious issue is now down to just 1% and the issue ranks just 12th in order of priority, according to a new DiageoHotline poll of voters. That's less than 1/10th of the number that it was in August 2007 (after the immigration reform bill failed in Congress)...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: HENRY KISSINGER - STATESMAN
Posted on September 29, 2008During Friday night's presidential debate between John McCain and Barack Obama, one of the more interesting verbal spars related to whether former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger supported negotiations with Iran and at what level. The fact that 30 years after he held the position, the opinion of Mr...
HOW TO LOSE THE HISPANIC VOTE IN 20 SECONDS
Posted on September 29, 2008The communications director of the local Las Vegas Republican Party office, lost her job today for, among other things, making the following statement:"We don't want (Hispanics) to become the new African-American community," Lima told The Associated Press...
IMMIGRATION HUMOR - GOVERNOR PALIN TALKS ABOUT IMMIGRATION
Posted on September 28, 2008Here's the fourth segment of Katie Couric's interview with Governor Palin you DIDN'T see. About half way through she talks about getting certain jobs held by foreigners back in the hands of Americans.
SENATE PASSES CONTINUING RESOLUTION EXTENDING E-VERIFY AND EB-5 PROGRAMS
Posted on September 27, 2008Well, this is likely the end of the road for the Menendez bill until after the election. But it is good news at least for EB-5 and the E-Verify program is going to come up for renewal again in just a few months so the notion of linking E-Verify to the Menendez bill is still on the table...
RELIGIOUS WORKER PROGRAM EXTENDED BY CONGRESS
Posted on September 27, 2008The House agreed this evening to S. 3606 to extend the religious worker program to March 6, 2009. The passed bill also requires DHS to issue anti-fraud rules within 30 days and the language seems to require that the regulations be issued before the program extension takes effect...
CONRAD 30 J-1 PROGRAM EXTENSION TO GO TO PRESIDENT'S DESK
Posted on September 27, 2008The House and Senate agreed to an extension of the physician immigration program until March 6, 2009. It began its sunset on June 1, 2008 so the need to extend was growing more urgent. Conrad 30 doctors are permitted to remain in the US after their graduate medical training programs end on condition of working in areas considered to be medically underserved...
KRIKORIAN: HISPANICS, BLACKS AND GAYS CAUSED WAMU BANK COLLAPSE
Posted on September 26, 2008It's actually fun writing that headline. But that's essentially what he wrote today in his National Review column. My favorite response to this piece of trash comes from the Daily Kos:Was Washington Mutual Failure Caused By Hispanics Working There? No...
HOW TO MAKE YOUR VOICES HEARD IN CONGRESS
Posted on September 26, 2008My friend Will Coley has produced two very helpful videos explaining how to call your member of Congress - one for the House and one for the Senate. He's urging folks to call regarding HR 1176 and S 3594. You can read more about these bills here.
CIS ATTACKS ANOTHER NON-PROBLEM
Posted on September 26, 2008Now that the Center for Immigration Studies has jumped the shark with its silly study linking immigration to global warming, they're trying to top themselves. They are now claiming there is a growing movement around the country to allow non-citizens to vote and that we really need to put a stop to this...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: MADELEINE ALBRIGHT - STATESWOMAN
Posted on September 26, 2008Czech-born Madeleine Albright has one of the most interesting biographies of any government official in many years. Aside from having been the first female Secretary of State during President Clinton's Administration, Albright's journey to the US was certainly unusual...
SENATORS MENENDEZ AND KENNEDY INTRODUCE RAIDS BILL
Posted on September 26, 2008The American Immigration Lawyers Association has this to say about the effort to deal with abuses in immigration raids: For Immediate Release Senate Act Would Restore Rule of Law to Immigration Enforcement American Immigration Law Foundation Lauds Menendez-Kennedy Raids Bill September 26, 2008 Washington , DC ? On Friday, September 26th, Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) proposed the ?Protect Citizens and Residents from Unlawful Raids and Detention Act? (S...
BREAKING NEWS: CONRAD 30 AND RELIGIOUS WORKER EXTENSIONS PASSED BY SENATE
Posted on September 26, 2008This is great news especially since the House already passed extension bills for both those programs. The Senate is only extending the programs until March 30 6th just as E-Verify and the EB-5 program are extended in the House Continuing resolution. The House bills extended those programs for longer periods so they're still going to need to vote again, but given the previous approvals, this will hopefully not be seen as controversial and pass without much discussion...
AMERICA'S VOICE TAKES ON CIS' DUMB "IMMIGRANTS CAUSE GLOBAL WARMING" STUDY
Posted on September 25, 2008Nicely done.
OUTRAGE OF THE DAY
Posted on September 25, 2008I haven't run this feature in a while, but this story forwarded to me by my friend Sam seems warranted. It seems a candidate for Congress, Ohio state senator Steve Austria is attacking his opponent for "harboring an illegal immigrant with a criminal record"...
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PLANNING TO LEAVE TO CAMPAIGN WITHOUT EXTENDING KEY PROGRAMS
Posted on September 25, 2008The US House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution last night that extends the E-Verify program until next March, but allows the following programs to die: - The Conrad 30 J-1 waiver program which sends physicians to medically underserved inner city and rural communities around the country - The H-2B returning worker provision which stops double and triple counting of seasonal workers coming to fill positions where employers have proven no US workers are available - The religious worker immigrant visa program that has been around for nearly two decades and which is critical for churches and synagogues around the...
A REQUEST TO READERS IN NJ, NEVADA, NEW MEXICO AND COLORADO
Posted on September 25, 2008As I noted yesterday, there is a possibility that Senator Menendez's recapture bill could be passed as part of a deal to extend E-Verify. Anti-immigrant members of Congress are pushing to get a six month extension of E-Verify on a continuing resolution to keep the government operating until the new Congress can pass new budget bills next year...
SEVEN FIRMS FACE DEBARMENT FROM FEDERAL CONTRACTS
Posted on September 24, 2008The targeted firms are Bynum Brothers Home Improvement Co. - Buffalo, N.Y. CMC Concrete Construction, Inc. - Manassas, Va. Hedges Landscape Specialists Inc. d/b/a Exterior Designs, Inc. and d/b/a Performance Irrigation, LLC - Crestwood, Ky. Lochirco Fruit & Produce Inc...
OBAMA LAYS OUT IMMIGRATION POSITIONS
Posted on September 24, 2008Barack Obama recently responded to pro-immigration group The Sanctuary's detailed questionnaire on immigration issues. And he gets very specific on a number of issues. John McCain didn't respond to the questionnaire. obama immigration positions - Get more Legal Forms
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: ELIAS ZERHOUNI - DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES FOR HEALTH
Posted on September 24, 2008Algerian-born Dr. Elias Zerhouni announced today that he is stepping down after six years from his position as the Director of the National Institutes of Health. Before accepting the NIH position, Dr. Zerhouni was the vice-dean at the renowned Johns Hopkins University and had a prior position in the Reagan Administration where he served as a consultant to the World Health Organization...
COULD ELECTION YEAR POLITICS HELP RECAPTURE BILL'S CHANCES?
Posted on September 24, 2008Yesterday, I wrote about a great bill that was introduced by Senator Menendez that would recapture hundreds of thousands of unused green card numbers, ease the strict per country limits that cause long lines for nationals of some countries and also make it easier to get a waiver when someone is subject to an unlawful presence bar...
SEVIS FEES FOR F, J AND M STUDENTS GOING UP
Posted on September 24, 2008$200 for Fs and Ms. $180 for Js. sevis fee - Get more Business Documents
HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE STILL NOT ABLE TO MOVE IMMIGRANT VISA RECAPTURE BILL OR NURSES BILL
Posted on September 23, 2008For the third week in a row, the committee fails to move forward on these bills despite being scheduled today for a markup. And, according to the American Immigration Lawyers Association, tomorrow is not looking much better. Lovely.
IMMIGRATION NO LONGER THE GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING FOR ANTI-IMMIGRANT REPUBLICANS
Posted on September 23, 2008Bashing immigrants doesn't appear to be working so well as in the past for the xenophobic wing of the Republican Party. That, plus pressure to tone things down and not embarrass their presidential candidate who is trying to woo Hispanic voters, help explain why we're not seeing the nasty ads of recent elections past.
CAN IMMIGRANTS HELP ADDRESS THE FINANCIAL MELTDOWN
Posted on September 23, 2008A lot of people may not be aware that hundreds of thousands of highly skilled immigrants - people with bachelors, masters, Ph.Ds, medical degrees, etc. - are stuck waiting in a queue for green cards that can last ten years or more. These are precisely the people who can help keep American competitive and they could provide some needed help in resolving the banking crisis that has gripped the country...
MENENDEZ INTRODUCES RECAPTURE BILL IN SENATE
Posted on September 23, 2008Senate Bob Menendez (D-NJ) has introduced S. 3514, the Reuniting Families Act, a bill to recapture unused family and employment-based green cards which were left on the table in the years 1992 to the present. The bill would also change the per country limit of 7% to a more reasonable 10%...
THE DUMBEST IMMIGRATION BILL OF THE YEAR
Posted on September 21, 2008There is no shortage of politicians who have sought to find silly angles to capitalize on the public's anxieties in the post-9/11 world. And this week its out old friend Tom Tancredo (who is doing the world a favor and leaving Congress after this session) who wins the award...
IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: JOHN DAVISON - PARENT'S RESOURCE
Posted on September 19, 2008British-born John Davison is a video game industry veteran who has teamed up with fellow industry insider to create whattheyplay.com, a web site that provides resources to parents trying to monitor the video games their kids are playing. I first heard about the company a few months ago when Davison was a guest on NBC's Today Show to talk about the controversial new video game Grand Theft Auto 4...
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