Archives for: June 2007
06/25/07
Monday, June 25
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/25/monday/index.html?eref=sitesearch
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A controversial overhaul of the nation's immigration system faces a potentially make-or-break test vote in the Senate Tuesday, with the White House lobbying reluctant Republicans to move forward on the bill despite a tidal wave of critical phone calls and e-mails pouring into their offices.
Blog: Return to Russia
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/25/kocher.blog3/index.html?eref=sitesearch
(CNN) -- I can tell you that some things in Russia may never change. No more than 10 minutes after we landed, my colleague walked through immigration only to have a male immigration officer query her single status and ask "Why no husband?"
Contentious issues greet new Wyoming senator
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/25/wyoming.senator.ap/index.html?eref=sitesearch
He declined to answer any questions, walking out of the room with his new colleagues as a reporter asked how he would vote on an immigration measure.
Low-skilled worker visas
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/US/06/25/dobbs.lowskill/index.html?eref=sitesearch
Here are some facts from tonight's program that you may find interesting. • The average wage for H1-b computer workers is $12,000 below the median U.S. Wage for the same occupation and location. Source: Low Salaries for Low Skills/John Miano • Wages for 84% of H1-b computer workers were below the median U.S. wage for the same occupation and location. Source: Low Salaries for Low Skills/John Miano • 87% of visas approved went to workers classified as intern or entry-level positions (Level One and Level Two workers). Source: USCIS • Five of the top six employers of H1-b Visa workers are Indian companies. Source:USCIS • 44% of petitions for H1-b visas went to people from India Source: USCIS • 65% of petitions for H2-b visas were for people 25 to 34 Source: USCIS The occupation with highest median salary was "fashion model" at $100,000 Source: USCIS • The occupation with lowest median salary was "religion and theology" at $32,000 Source: USCIS In 2007, state legislators in all of the 50 states had introduced at least 1169 bills and resolutions related to immigration or immigrants and refugees. This is more than twice the total number of introduced bills (570) in 2006. Up to this point in the 2007 legislative sessions, 18 states (Arkansas, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming) have enacted at least 57 bills in this policy arena, already 2/3 of the total number of laws enacted in 2006. State legislatures have also adopted at least 19 resolutions and memorials in their 2007 sessions. Most state legislatures remain in session, an indication that it is quite likely that there will be even more activity this year. Like in 2006, employment, law enforcement, benefits and education head the list of topics under consideration in state legislatures. More than half of all states have also addressed human trafficking issues. Source: National Conference of State Legislatures He estimates $750,000
Report blasts U.S. for failures in fighting terrorism
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/25/terror.report/index.html?eref=sitesearch
The Government Accountability Office found that in one country a lack of clarity about the roles and responsibilities of the FBI and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency may have compromised several investigations intended to identify and disrupt potential terrorist activities.
06/24/07
Sunday, June 24
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/24/sunday/index.html?eref=sitesearch
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The immigration bill faces another opportunity for passage this week, with the Senate slated to take it up Tuesday amid vigorous opposition and support that does not follow party lines.
Unwitting woman votes, faces deportation
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/LAW/06/24/councilwoman.deport.ap/index.html?eref=sitesearch
On June 18, Meyer said, immigration officials showed up at her home and told her to appear at their San Bernardino office.
Immigration bill awaits vote this week
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/24/congress.immigration.ap/index.html?eref=sitesearch
President Bush long has advocated an immigration overhaul. On Saturday, he urged lawmakers to "summon the courage" to support what could be the last major legislative achievement of his presidency.
06/23/07
Saturday, June 23
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/23/saturday/index.html?eref=sitesearch
(CNN) -- President Bush pushed again Saturday for immigration-reform legislation and the "enforcement tools" it includes.
Presidential campaign puts strain on Secret Service
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/23/secret.service.strain/index.html?eref=sitesearch
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency also is being asked for support help; though an initial thought of borrowing 2,000 ICE agents for the campaign has been trimmed back to 200.
Bush urges passage of languishing immigration bill
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/23/bush.radio.ap/index.html?eref=sitesearch
A fragile bipartisan compromise on immigration known as the "grand bargain" is due to come back before the Senate as early as next week. After critics sidelined the bill two weeks ago, it is being considered under an agreement to allow votes on a limited number of amendments from both Democrats and Republicans.
06/21/07
Thursday, June 21
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/21/thursday/index.html?eref=sitesearch
Immigration and Customs Enforcement will now ask the judge hearing her case to dismiss removal proceedings and grant her discretionary parole while she applies for permanent residency, Chertoff said in a letter to Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who had raised her case with the secretary. (Posted 6:48 p.m.)
Bush administration opposes change on immigration bill
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/21/immigration.congress.ap/index.html?eref=sitesearch
Their amendment is one of a limited list of two dozen the Senate would consider adding to the immigration measure under a plan to revive the stalled bill before the July 4 recess.
06/20/07
Wednesday, June 20
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/20/wednesday/index.html?eref=sitesearch
"I'm particularly upset that the big issues of our time keep getting pushed to the back, and we focus on small things that probably only inside the Beltway are important," he said. He cited health care, education, immigration, Social Security and the U.S. "reputation overseas" as issues that are getting short shrift in favor of what he called "litmus-test issues." (Posted 5:41 p.m.)
Speculation surrounds 'non-candidate' Bloomberg
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/20/bloomberg.ap/index.html?eref=sitesearch
On Wednesday, he offered opinions on public education, immigration, Iran and several other issues that have surfaced in the presidential campaign.
Missing soldier's wife faces deportation, lawyer says
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/06/20/missing.soldier.wife.ap/index.html?eref=sitesearch
An immigration judge put a temporary stop to the proceedings since Alex Jimenez was reported missing. The soldier's wife is living with family members in Pennsylvania, the station reported.
06/19/07
Tuesday, June 19
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/19/tuesday/index.html?eref=sitesearch
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Few issues in Congress today have the ability to unite lawmakers -- certainly not immigration reform, energy legislation or the war in Iraq. But during a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to the Capitol on Tuesday, party leaders took a break from legislating and took time for a photo-op with a shared friend.
Brother of 9/11 victim works to take legacy to Congress
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/19/9-11.candidate/index.html?eref=sitesearch
On immigration, he sides with those in his party who do not favor allowing citizenship for illegal immigrants unless they leave the country. "I hate the symbolism behind the fence, but it is going to be required. Some areas it is going to require a hard fence. Other areas will require a technological fence," he said.
Elections already putting strain on Secret Service
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/19/secret.service/index.html?eref=sitesearch
Transportation Security Administration screeners, for example, will be tapped to run magnetometers and other screening devices at campaign events. The Border Patrol and other agencies also are likely to get support roles as the workload increases. In all, the service anticipates borrowing more than 2,000 immigration officers and airport screeners to help protect White House hopefuls.
Unemployment among minorities
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/US/06/19/dobbs.unemployment/index.html?eref=sitesearch
This is a disturbing presentation by an immigration law firm about how to skirt hiring a U.S. worker when going through the Perm process. I thought you would find it useful. It is only about 5 minutes long. Below is a link to a video edited by the programmers guild. The source is a Pittsburgh-based immigration law firm, Cohen & Grigsby. How firms can game the Perm system in order to NOT find a U.S. worker Source : Daily Kos
06/18/07
700 suspects in pedophile probe
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/18/uk.pedophile.ring.ap/index.html?eref=sitesearch
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement declined to comment because their investigation is continuing in at least 12 states, which were not identified. Police in Germany are also investigating two men in connection with the ring, the country's Federal Crime Office said.
Fewer baby boys being circumcised in the U.S.
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/06/18/circumcision.decline.ap/index.html?eref=sitesearch
Experts say immigration patterns play the biggest role in the decline, which is steepest in Western states with big populations from Asian and Latin American countries where circumcision is uncommon. The trend has also accompanied a change in Americans' attitudes toward medicine and their bodies.
06/17/07
Friday, June 15
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/15/friday/index.html?eref=sitesearch
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The morning after U.S. senators reached a hard-fought, bipartisan agreement to revive an immigration bill for debate, it appeared apt that President Bush should speak to the Hispanic organization Esperanza -- "Hope."
CNN debate archive: Republicans, June 5, New Hampshire
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/15/nh.gop.debate.archive/index.html?eref=sitesearch
CNN debate archive: Republicans, June 5, New Hampshire
Tourism industry wants to use fee to ease border bottlenecks
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/06/15/tourism.terrorism/index.html?eref=sitesearch
"If anybody ought to be a big proponent of requiring visas, it ought to be the people in the travel industry," said Michael Cutler of the Center for Immigration Studies and a former senior special agent with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (now Citizenship and Immigration Services).
Deal gives immigration bill new life
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/15/congress.immigration.bill/index.html?eref=sitesearch
The contentious immigration bill stalled in the Senate last week, preventing many senators from offering amendments. Thursday night's agreement would allow about 20 amendments to be considered -- half from each party.
Conservative bloggers in full revolt over immigration
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/15/bloggers.bush/index.html?eref=sitesearch
But no issue in recent memory has united conservative bloggers like the debate over immigration. Their frustration has culminated in a full-scale revolt against the Bush administration and a Senate bill that activists say does little to solve the country's border security problems.
Four North Koreans get their wish
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/06/15/nkorea.defectors.reut/index.html?eref=sitesearch
Japan can grant asylum seekers a six-month permit under its immigration law, and a 2006 "North Korean human rights law" also states the government must take measures to protect and support defectors from North Korea.
Sunday, June 17
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/17/sunday/index.html?eref=sitesearch
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate should wrap up work on a sweeping overhaul of U.S. immigration laws before the Fourth of July, but its odds of passage remain uncertain, the chamber's Republican leader said Sunday.
Sarkozy loses key minister in parliamentary vote
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/17/france.votes.ap/index.html?eref=sitesearch
Sarkozy's government has already scheduled an extraordinary session of the new parliament for June 26 to begin passing some of his planned reforms, including loosening the 35-hour work week, guaranteeing minimum service during public transport strikes and getting tough on repeat lawbreakers and illegal immigration.
Mom: Missing mentally disabled son, illegally deported
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/06/17/illegal.deportation.ap/index.html?eref=sitesearch
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed Guzman had been deported and said the agency had done so correctly. "ICE has no reason to believe that it improperly removed Pedro Guzman," read a statement.
Left tempers Sarkozy's poll win
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/17/france.votes.conservatives.reut/index.html?eref=sitesearch
He will call a special session of the new parliament for June 26 to vote through tax breaks on mortgage interest repayments and overtime, a 50 percent cap on personal taxation, tighter immigration laws and stiffer terms for repeat offenders.
06/16/07
Immigration bill will come back to Senate, leaders say
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/14/congress.immigration.ap/index.html?eref=sitesearch
Thursday's breakthrough came just hours after President Bush threw his support behind an amendment that would provide an additional $4.4 billion for border security and work site immigration enforcement. The amendment is a bid to answer concerns from some GOP critics that the security aspects of the bill weren't tough enough.
China's Military Build-up
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/US/06/14/dobbs.china/index.html?eref=sitesearch
Illegal (and legal) immigration reduces wages: By increasing the supply of labor between 1980 and 2000, immigration reduced the average annual earnings of native-born men by an estimated $1,700 or roughly 4 percent. Among natives without a high school education, who roughly correspond to the poorest tenth of the workforce, the estimated impact was even larger, reducing their wages by 7.4%. Source : Center for Immigration Studies
Immigration bill will come back to Senate, leaders say
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/14/congress.immigration.bill/index.html?eref=sitesearch
Thursday's breakthrough came just hours after President Bush threw his support behind an amendment -- sponsored by Republican Sens. Jon Kyl of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina -- that would provide an additional $4.4 billion for border security and work site immigration enforcement. The amendment is a bid to answer concerns from some GOP critics that the security aspects of the bill weren't tough enough.
10M can live in HK, Tsang tells FT
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/06/15/tsang.population.reut/index.html?eref=sitesearch
Hong Kong needed to boost immigration and education, and invest in infrastructure, Tsang said.
Friday, June 15
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/15/friday/index.html?eref=sitesearch
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The morning after U.S. senators reached a hard-fought, bipartisan agreement to revive an immigration bill for debate, it appeared apt that President Bush should speak to the Hispanic organization Esperanza -- "Hope."
CNN debate archive: Republicans, June 5, New Hampshire
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/15/nh.gop.debate.archive/index.html?eref=sitesearch
CNN debate archive: Republicans, June 5, New Hampshire
Tourism industry wants to use fee to ease border bottlenecks
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/06/15/tourism.terrorism/index.html?eref=sitesearch
"If anybody ought to be a big proponent of requiring visas, it ought to be the people in the travel industry," said Michael Cutler of the Center for Immigration Studies and a former senior special agent with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (now Citizenship and Immigration Services).
Deal gives immigration bill new life
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/15/congress.immigration.bill/index.html?eref=sitesearch
The contentious immigration bill stalled in the Senate last week, preventing many senators from offering amendments. Thursday night's agreement would allow about 20 amendments to be considered -- half from each party.
Conservative bloggers in full revolt over immigration
Link: http://cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/15/bloggers.bush/index.html?eref=sitesearch
But no issue in recent memory has united conservative bloggers like the debate over immigration. Their frustration has culminated in a full-scale revolt against the Bush administration and a Senate bill that activists say does little to solve the country's border security problems.