Thursday, August 26, 2010
U.S.C.I.S. Memo Has Anti-Immigrant Groups Panicking
An internal Department of Homeland Security memo entitled “Administrative Alternatives to Comprehensive Immigration Reform” was attacked by conservative activists Monday.
Activist groups such as the Eagle Watch, The Family Research Council, Judicial Watch, and a Washington-area segment of the Tea Party movement, sent a letter to the White House citing reports that the administration is thinking about using its executive power “to effectively legalize significant number of illegal aliens.”
The head of NumbersUSA, an immigration reduction organization, alleged that, “The administration is terrified that the illegal immigrant population is going to go down further because they want to keep them here in order to give them the amnesty and turn them into voters.”
The document outlines a draft proposal that would give protection and/or assistance to individuals currently in the United States without authorization. It also mentions “deferred action.” Deferred action “would permit individuals for whom relief may become available in the future to live and work in the U.S. without fear of removal.”
It goes on to state that the suggestions have the “potential to result in meaningful immigration reform absent legislative action.” However, it also acknowledges that if they adopted the suggestions without limits, it will be very expensive and controversial.
A statement from the U.S.C.I.S. indicated that the memo was simply brainstorming. “Internal memos do not and should not be equated with official action or policy.” They went on to state that they, “will not grant deferred action or humanitarian parole to the nation’s entire illegal population.”
To view the memo click here.
Source: CNN
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Justice Department Threatens to Sue Maricopa County Sheriff
The new immigration law enacted in Arizona , SB 1070, gives police officers much more authority to detain illegal immigrants. This authority will almost certainly increase the racial profiling and discrimination against many groups, most notably the Latino population.
Recently, Arizona and Gov. Jan Brewer (R) were sued by the Justice Department over the state's new immigration law. Soon after, Justice Department officials issued a warning to controversial Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio that requires him to respond to their investigation into whether he discriminates against Hispanics. If he doesn’t respond, he will be sued.
The Civil Rights Division has been investigating whether Arpaio’s jail has discriminated against Hispanic inmates and whether his department has engaged in “discriminatory police practices and unconstitutional searches and seizures” all this according to a letter the division sent Arpaio.
A federal grand jury in Phoenix is also targeting the self proclaimed “America ’s Toughest Sheriff.” They are examining whether he has used his influence to intimidate and investigate political opponents and whether his office misappropriated government funds.
Source: Washington Post
Monday, August 16, 2010
Filing Instructions for Immigration Forms Are Updated
Several forms should now be sent to USCIS lockbox facilities rather than to USCIS Service Centers. These forms are:
• I-129F
• I-130
• I-140
• I-526
• I-539
• I-817
On the latest version of each of these forms, the new filing instructions can be found. These forms are available for free here.
The change occurred August 3, 2010. Applications already on their way to the service centers will be automatically rerouted to a designated lockbox. This will occur for a period of 45 days, after which packages will be returned to the applicant with a letter stating the new filing instructions.
• I-129F
• I-130
• I-140
• I-526
• I-539
• I-817
On the latest version of each of these forms, the new filing instructions can be found. These forms are available for free here.
The change occurred August 3, 2010. Applications already on their way to the service centers will be automatically rerouted to a designated lockbox. This will occur for a period of 45 days, after which packages will be returned to the applicant with a letter stating the new filing instructions.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Emergency Border Security Bill is Signed Into Law by Obama
The Senate passed H.R. 6080 yesterday by unanimous consent and today President Obama signed it into law.
H.R. 6080 gives $600 million in emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year 2010 to secure the Southwest border and improve Federal border protection, law enforcement, and counternarcotics activities.
Funding is appropriated to the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and The Judiciary. The bill also includes General Provisions that include raising “filing and fraud prevention and detection for L visas by $2,250 and H-1B visas by $2,000 for applicants who have more than 50 employees in the US if more than 50 percent of their employees are on L or H-1B visas respectively. Filing fee increase ends on September 30, 2014.”
More information on the bill can be found here.
Sources: AILA, Whitehouse
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