Immigration Law

TESTIMONY FROM THIS WEEK'S SENATE HEARING ON E-VERIFY

Posted on July 23, 2009
Here 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, 2009
My 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, 2009
Wow. 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, 2009
It 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...

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IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: SHANTANU NARAYEN - ADOBE CEO

Posted on July 20, 2009
I'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, 2009
Belgian-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, 2009
The 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, 2009
My 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, 2009
The 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, 2009
More 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, 2009
Actually, 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, 2009
Well, 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, 2009
Israeli-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, 2009
I'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, 2009
General 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, 2009
Greek-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, 2009
Earlier 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, 2009
Just 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, 2009
The 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, 2009
Great 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, 2009
Senator 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, 2009
In 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, 2009
Iranian-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, 2009
A 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, 2009
From 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, 2009
John 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, 2009
This 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, 2009
Opinion 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, 2009
At 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, 2009
Tomorrow 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...

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