Immigration Law

NO STIMULUS MONEY FOR EMPLOYERS WHO VIOLATE IMMIGRATION LAWS

Posted on January 22, 2009
This 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, 2009
Janet 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, 2009
Luis 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, 2009
Chair: 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...

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

LIKELY SENATOR FROM NEW YORK SCORES HIGH WITH ANTI-IMMIGRATION GROUPS

Posted on January 22, 2009
Now 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, 2009
Politico'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, 2009
New 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, 2009
A 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, 2009
President 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, 2009
The 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, 2009
Business 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, 2009
Senator 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, 2009
It 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, 2009
Two 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, 2009
There 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, 2009
Senator 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, 2009
A 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, 2009
Wow. 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, 2009
Well 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, 2009
From 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, 2009
This 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, 2009
WOAI, 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, 2009
Hat 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, 2009
Last 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, 2009
Arizona 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, 2009
The 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, 2009
A 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, 2009
This 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, 2009
Tim 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, 2009
It 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...

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.