New York, July 2009
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OBAMA ADDRESSES IMMIGRATION REFORM
 Washington
D.C. - After much anticipation, President Obama finally spoke publicly about
immigration reform. On July 19, 2009 the President addressed the Esperanza
National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast and Conference, which is the largest Hispanic
evangelical group in the United States. The president stated that he remains
“committed to passing comprehensive immigration reform” and that “this promise
means upholding America's tradition as a nation of laws and a nation of
immigrants. Those things aren't contradictory; they're complementary.” President
Obama stated that he hopes the official debate regarding comprehensive
immigration reform will begin in late 2009. Obama acknowledged that the
American people are calling for a
system that will control our borders and crack down on the employment of
unauthorized workers, while also legalizing the undocumented workers who are
currently in the country. However, many political officials feel that passing
comprehensive immigration reform is a difficult task, especially the daunting
mission of creating a path towards
citizenship for the current illegal immigrants in the country. Some
Democrats representing conservative districts do not support a path towards
citizenship, citing that it rewards those who don’t follow the law and is
essentially “amnesty for lawbreakers.” In addition, due to the recession in the
United States, the economy and health care remain at the top of the President’s
list. Thus, officials speculate that while talks on immigration reform have
ensued, it’s not likely that any legislation will be passed on the issue anytime
soon. Nonetheless, Obama announced upgrades to online services offered by the
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Office (USCIS). Among the new services
that will soon be launched by the USCIS include the ability to check the status
of immigration applications online, as well as through text message and email.
He also stated that the entire USCIS agency will become more user-friendly. The
website in which applicants can check the status of their application is
expected to be launched within the next 90 days. |
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NATIONAL WORKER ID CARDS PROPOSED
 Washington,
D.C. - Due to the increased enforcement of fining employers who hire illegal
workers, officials have proposed a national worker ID card to help ensure the
work eligibility of employees. The purpose of this identification card, which
would contain the individual’s fingerprints and other biometric data, would be
to create a fraudulent-proof ID so that employers could easily depict workers
who are authorized to work in the United States. Another purpose of proposing a
national worker ID card for all Americans would be to help combat future
illegal immigration. According to
Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y) the worker ID card has far-reaching
implications: “The ID will make it easy for employers to avoid [hiring]
undocumented workers, which will allow for tough sanctions against employers who
break the law, which will lead to no jobs being available for illegal
immigrants, which will stop illegal immigration." The idea of the national
Worker ID card will most likely be presented in the summer of 2009. Opponents of
the national worker ID card cite the high costs that the ID card would involve
as well as the intrusive nature of requiring all Americans
workers to have the ID card. Critics also
cite the difficulties in monitoring the nation’s 26 million employers for
compliance with the system, and believe the best way to control the hiring of
illegal workers is through enforcement of wage and labor laws, as well as strict
fines to employers who hire those not authorized to work in the United States. |
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9 FLORIDA COUNTIES ABLE TO CHECK IMMIGRATION STATUS OF JAILED INMATES
 Tampa,
FL - Hillsborough County in Florida became the ninth county in the state to
be able to check the immigration status of jailed inmates. Under the Secure
Communities program, some counties in Florida receive the immigration history of
inmates, based upon biometrics data such as fingerprints. Other counties in
Florida that have access to such information include Charlotte, Clay, Collier,
Duval, Marion, Miami-Dade, St. John's, and St. Lucie county. According to a news
release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (USCIS),
the process is streamlined so that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can
easily depict if someone arrested has deportation orders, and if they would
classify as a “deportable criminal immigrant.” This program allows for inmates’
fingerprints to be screened in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's
immigration databases and the FBI Integrated Automated Fingerprint
Identification System. Previously, inmates’ fingerprints were only checked
against the U.S. Department of Justice’s biometric system, and wouldn’t have
signaled if an inmate was in the country illegally.
Deportation priority is granted to
illegal alien inmates who are believed to be the greatest danger to society,
such as inmates with histories of major drug offenses, murder, rape, robbery and
kidnapping.
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OKLAHOMA TO BEGIN DEPORTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT INMATES
 Tulsa,
OK - Effective July 1, Oklahoma will begin deporting illegal immigrant
inmates who are currently jailed for committing non-violent crimes. Under a new
law, current inmates in the state will be considered for
deportation if they have served at least
1/3 of their sentence and have been convicted of a nonviolent crime. In order to
be deported, they must receive a deportation
order from federal officials, and must have no pending federal charges.
Approximately 500 inmates in Oklahoma are in the country illegally, and 230 of
them would be eligible for deportation. This new law is under the Oklahoma
Criminal Illegal Alien Rapid Repatriation Act, and is expected to save Oklahoma
taxpayers over $4 million in the first year. It costs about $20,000 annually to
house an offender for one year in the state. The Oklahoma Criminal Illegal Alien
Rapid Repatriation Act was popular with officials in Oklahoma, and the bill
passed in the House unanimously, and only received one “no” vote in the Senate.
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GREEN CARDS FOR INVESTORS PROMOTED GLOBALLY
 Orlando,
FL - A new program aims to attract foreign investors to the United States,
in exchange for a “Green Card,”
also known as Permanent Resident status. Under a new pilot program, different
companies are coming together to offer “regional centers” in which individuals
are granted an EB5 immigrant visa if they invest their money in a development.
In order to be designated a regional center the entity must be approved by U.S.
Immigration authorities. Once given the designation, the regional centers have
at least 100 green cards available for individuals who invest at least $1
million. In order to qualify for an EB 5 (Green Card through investment visa) at
least 10 jobs must be created. The U.S. Government has an annual cap of issuing
only 10,000 EB5 visas. 3,000 of these are designated to approved regional
centers. A resort complex near Disney World in Florida has received the most
interest from foreign investors, with the majority of the inquiries are coming
from China. Many immigrants desire to obtain a U.S.
Green Card (Permanent Resident Status), so
they can travel to and from the United States freely, and reside in the country
on a permanent basis. Immigration officials remark that the funds for investment
for EB 5 Visas are investigated thoroughly, and that they do not want “dirty
money.”
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UNITED STATES IMMIGRATION SUPPORT
511 Avenue of the Americas # 45
New York, NY 10011
Phone: (646) 233-3836
Fax: (646)792-3296
Web: www.usimmigrationsupport.org
Email: info@usimmigrationsupport.org
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