Immigration Law

BIG GOVERNMENT REPUBLICANS

Posted on January 28, 2008
Do you consider yourself a good conservative Republican? Do you think you're pro-business? Are you for smaller government, lower taxes and less federal spending? Then you have no business supporting the anti-immigration agenda being pushed by the big government xenophobes who think employers should be cops, DHS should get the opportunity to approve every employee you hire and government should be throwing up tariffs restricting trade in services...

KENTUCKY HOUSE CONSIDERING BUSINESS LICENSE LAW

Posted on January 28, 2008
The bill is actually pretty broad. It would - allow immigrants to be charged with identity - require employers to use E-Verify - allow the state to suspend business licenses of employers hiring unauthorized workers

OREGON BUSINESSES ORGANIZE AROUND IMMIGRATION ISSUE

Posted on January 28, 2008
Oregon becomes the latest state to establish an employers immigration reform coalition.

THE BLACK ECONOMY

Posted on January 27, 2008
It's getting ugly in Arizona as "Hispanic Panic" sets in. Arizona's draconian employer law went in to effect just a few weeks ago and the fall out is already apparent as immigrants flee the state and employers are having mass layoffs. And it looks like market forces are creating an alternative "black economy" where employees are paid in cash and all worker protections go out the window.

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IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: AASIF MANDVI - FAKE JOURNALIST

Posted on January 27, 2008
OK, it's not as high brow as my CEO series, but I almost never miss a new episode of Comedy Central's The Daily Show and the show's trio of immigrant "correspondents" are sensational. I especially get a kick when they cover immigration issues. The show has propelled Indian-born Aasif Mandvi to one of the country's most recognized Indian Americans...

THE PRICE OF ATTRITION

Posted on January 27, 2008
Many anti-immigrants will freely admit that it will be impossible to deport 12 million unauthorized immigrants. Rather, they'll talk about making conditions so miserable for them that they'll simply go home on their own. Just a little tough love, that's all...

SWEET REVENGE: MARTINEZ ENDORSES MCCAIN

Posted on January 26, 2008
A few months back I posted on Florida Republican Senator Mel Martinez being driven from his post as the Chairman of the Republican National Committee because of the Senator's support for comprehensive immigration reform. Now Martinez is endorsing McCain and is trying to help deliver the critical South Florida Cuban Republican vote...

HEADS UP: NEW SOCIAL SECURITY NO MATCH RULE IMMINENT

Posted on January 26, 2008
Sources are telling me that this rule could be released in the next few days. Folks may remember that te previous version of this rule was temporarily stopped by a court order. DHS pulled the rule and promised to re-release a version that would be acceptable to the judge...

OVERZEALOUS IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS DEPORTING US CITIZENS

Posted on January 25, 2008
I've posted on this subject before, but it bears reminding policymakers that this is not a made up problem.

IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: SAMANTHA BEE - FAKE JOURNALIST

Posted on January 25, 2008
Canadian Samantha Bee is America's favorite fake female journalist, a title she likely won't dispute. She's risen up the ranks and is now the senior correspondent on top-rated fake news program The Daily Show on Comedy Central. Bee's hilarious interviews with politicians are pretty memorable including her most recent interview with my own Congressman, Memphis Democrat Steve Cohen...

MICHIGAN AILA CHAPTER URGES SECRETARY OF STATE TO BACK DOWN

Posted on January 24, 2008
Of course, if this were really about good public policy and not scoring political points, this letter wouldn't be necessary. When Michigan taxpayers pay millions in legal fees to the plaintiffs' attorneys when the state loses the law suit that will no doubt be filed in the next several weeks, I wonder if the politics will seem so smart.

SURPRISE: IMMIGRATION IS GETTING MCCAIN VOTES

Posted on January 24, 2008
Well this is really going to upset some of the strategists who've convinced a number of GOP candidates around the country that voters are quick to embrace knee-jerk Tancredo-esque anti-immigration positions. But guess what? The public is more sophisticated than the pundits give them credit and will actually reward candidates who actually try to solve problems rather than demagogue on them...

IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: RINGO STARR - ROCK ROYAL

Posted on January 24, 2008
No need to tell you anything about British-born Ringo Starr (who resides in Los Angeles and frequently records there). I was a kid in the 70s and the Beatles had broken up when I was just three years old. But my first album was Rubber Soul [thanks Sid for the catch] and I can remember sitting around after school with friends and listening to Beatles tunes for hours on end...

MICHIGAN SECRETARY OF STATE: URGE YOUR LEGISLATOR TO CLEAN UP OUR MESS

Posted on January 24, 2008
This is great. The Michigan Secretary of State admits they have a huge problem and she's actually urging Michigan citizens to push for legislation to fix the drivers license disaster: Michigan has many outstanding residents who contribute greatly to our economy and society even though they're here on a temporary basis," Land said...

MICHIGAN DMV ISSUES INSTRUCTIONS IMPLEMENTING NEW ANTI-LEGAL IMMIGRANT PROPOSAL

Posted on January 23, 2008
There has been some debate in the comments from my recent post on whether Michigan really meant it when they decided to only allow US citizens and permanent residents to get a driver's license in the state. Here's the proof. There is nothing allowing those with a valid I-94 to work, proof of asylum or refugee status, an employment authorization card, an I-20, a receipt for a pending adjustment of status application, a DS-2019 or any other of the usual documents that prove legal status in the US to get a drivers license...

IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: AMERICAN IDOL CONTESTANT CARLY

Posted on January 23, 2008
OK, I don't know Carly's last name and the tattoos were scary, but she represents a very typical immigrant story. Two years ago Irish Carly was selected to go to Hollywood by Simon, Randy and Paula, but USCIS delays on her green card application caused her to be disqualified (and I have no idea of the actual story so am just presuming processing delays were the only problem)...

GIGANTE DOBBS

Posted on January 22, 2008

MICHIGAN COMMITS ECONOMIC SUICIDE

Posted on January 22, 2008
Well maybe I'm being a bit dramatic, but why would you establish a policy of limiting drivers licenses only to green card holders and US citizens? Legal immigrants on visas (such as H-1Bs, F-1 students, J-1s, etc.) can no longer get drivers licenses in Michigan...

IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: SHAI AGASSI - ENTREPRENUER

Posted on January 21, 2008
People who knew me in law school might be surprised that I turned out to be an immigration lawyer. Because for a while there I was convinced I wanted to practice environmental law. I was heavily involved in environmental activism while in law school and helped to found an environmental law society at the University of Chicago Law School...

MIXED DAY FOR ANTI-IMMIGRANTS

Posted on January 20, 2008
The John McCain win is part of the story. Some attributed his win in New Hampshire to the votes of independents and Democrats who were permitted to vote in the Republican primary. Not so in South Carolina. Just a few days ago, I posted on some of the rabid xenophobia that's taken hold in South Carolina and elsewhere in the South...

BREAKING NEWS: ARIZONA RULING DUE IN FEBRUARY

Posted on January 19, 2008
The Arizona employer law that allows the state to revoke the business licenses of employers who knowingly or intentionally hire unauthorized workers went in to force on January 1st. The law also mandates that employers use E-Verify, DHS' electronic employment verification system...

TRAVEL IS TRADE

Posted on January 18, 2008
The CEO of Marriott International makes the case for a guest worker program.

PROVING YOU LEFT

Posted on January 18, 2008
AILA noted today a new link on the Customs and Border Patrol web site that addresses what to do when you have left the US and your I-94 card was not collected. The issue is important because you risk showing up in the CBP system as having overstayed when the card is not collected and the exit entered in CBP's database.

IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: MAURICE ASHLEY - CHESS GRANDMASTER

Posted on January 18, 2008
Though I haven't thought about Bobby Fisher in some time, I was still very surprised to hear about his death on this morning's news. I was a kid in the 70s and remembered Fisher as the young chessmaster who defeated Soviet icon Boris Spassky in the "Match of the Century" at the championship in Iceland...

GONZALEZ: BE PREPARED TO WAIT

Posted on January 18, 2008
This is hardly a shocker, but USCIS Director Emilio Gonzalez told the House Immigration Subcommittee yesterday that processing times for naturalization cases would be much longer for the foreseeable future. Gonzalez blamed the slowdown in naturalization cases on the fee increases that went in to force last summer...

TEXAS AG RULES IMMIGRANT SOLDIERS ENTITLED TO FREE COLLEGE TUITION

Posted on January 17, 2008
The Texas Attorney General has ruled that soldiers who were permanent residents before being sent overseas to serve cannot be treated differently than US citizens when it comes to sharing the benefit of receiving free tuition at state colleges. The AG's ruling should send a signal to nearby Arizona that the Equal Protection protections of the Constitution's 14th Amendments are real and that a plan being considered in that state to deny US citizen children birth certificates because there parents are unauthorized immigrants is illegal.

SKILLED WORKERS STEPPING UP PRESSURE TO REFORM VISA PROCESS

Posted on January 17, 2008
Hawaii's business newspaper reports on the efforts of groups like Immigration Voice and others who are pushing to fix the broken skilled worker immigration system.

COULD TEJADA FACE DEPORTATION OVER STEROIDS SCANDAL?

Posted on January 17, 2008
The Houston Chronicle speculates whether permanent resident Miguel Tejada, a native of the Dominican Republic, could face problems stemming from accusations of obstruction of justice in the steroids scandal.

EDWARDS, OBAMA REITERATE SUPPORT FOR COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION

Posted on January 16, 2008
Here is the transcript from last night's Democratic debate in Las Vegas. Senator Clinton was not asked an immigration question last night: WILLIAMS: Senator Edwards, in touching on immigration here, let?s go to something that a lot of people have found to be a disconnect between the Democratic Party and majorities of voters in a lot of states...

IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: DAPHNE RUBIN-VEGA - SINGER/ACTRESS

Posted on January 16, 2008
Rent, one of my favorite Broadway shows, will close on June 1st, after a twelve year run. It will end its run as the seventh longest running show in Broadway history, no small feat. So with Rent on the mind, it's fitting that Daphne Rubin-Vega be our immigrant of the day...

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