New York, April 2006
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Across the United States Mass Protests Highlight Immigration Issues
 WASHINGTON, DC
- Legal and illegal, carrying signs in English and Spanish, hundreds of
thousands of immigrants and their supporters took to the streets Monday in the
nation's capital and in dozens of cities around the country, spreading a sea of
white T-shirts and American flags across city parks and TV screens in an effort
to persuade lawmakers to grant foreign-born workers more rights. Chanting,
"Sí, se puede" — "Yes, we can" — and carrying signs declaring, "We Are America,"
marchers at the centerpiece rally on the National Mall in Washington said they
hoped to send a message to Congress and the rest of the country that they wanted
to be a part of the nation where they work. "We came here to protest. They want
to pass a law to treat immigrants like terrorists," said Gilberto Castro, 34,
who came to the U.S. illegally in 1998, obtained a work permit and now makes a
living selling vitamins. "I would like other people to have the same
opportunity, like amnesty, for other people to get their papers." Organizers
said the Washington rally drew 500,000 protesters, though others said the crowd
was much smaller.
The demonstrations across the nation were a culmination of a growing immigrant
rights movement that began last month in response to House legislation passed in
December that would make it a felony to be in the United States without a valid
visa or to aid anyone who was. Some rallies in recent weeks appeared to
backfire, with Republican lawmakers and others complaining that marchers carried
more Mexican flags than American, suggesting that immigrants did not want to
integrate into U.S. society. By contrast, organizers of Monday's demonstrations
appeared to make special efforts to lead recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance
and to discourage marchers from carrying flags from other countries, for example
— to send the message that immigrants wanted to be Americans.
Source: LA Times
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Sending money back has Vital Role
 MIAMI, FL
- Immigrants don't just affect the economies of their adopted countries; they
have a big impact at home as well. Immigrants in the USA
sent $40 billion
to their relatives and friends in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2005,
according to the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). Worldwide,
immigrants sent $232 billion abroad in remittances in 2005, according to the
World Bank. That's about equal to the size of the Greek economy.
Remittances have a big impact on local economies where they are spent. In at
least 20 countries, such payments make up at least 10% of gross domestic
product, according to the World Bank. In El Salvador and Honduras, remittances
account for more than 15% of GDP. "Remittances are widely recognized as
critical to the survival of millions of individual families and the health of
many national economies," IADB researchers said in a recently issued report.
They estimate 125 million migrant workers worldwide regularly
send money to 500
million people in their home countries. Miami-based consulting firm Bendixen &
Associates estimates that one out of every five people in Mexico regularly
receives a payment from abroad. Based on surveys, the firm estimates the average
migrant worker who sends money home sends an average $240 a month, money that
goes a lot further in their home countries than in the USA.
Source: USA Today
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US-VISIT falls short
 WASHINGTON, DC
- The Department of Homeland Security's US-VISIT program has achieved "only the
bare minimum" in tracking foreign travelers through the nation's 50 busiest land
ports of entry, according to a new report by the department's inspector general.
Fewer than 3 percent of all foreign visitors who enter the United States at land
border crossings have their identities verified and checked against a database
to ensure suspected criminals or terrorists are not allowed in the country,
according to the report. US-VISIT debuted at the nation's airports and seaports
early last year and expanded to 50 land ports of entry by the end of 2004.
Although the currently small number of screened visitors is expected to grow as
the program develops, the department's watchdog found several other problems in
US-VISIT that limit its overall effectiveness.
Click here for
more information on the US-VISIT program and to apply for a
B-2 Tourist Visa.
One of the inspector general's chief concerns in the report was that many
foreign visitors are exempt from US-VISIT. Mexican citizens who hold Border
Crossing Cards and Canadian citizens, who need only a driver's license to enter
the United States, will not be subject to screening under the program. Mexican
holders of such cards account for about 44 percent of land border crossings and
Canadians account for about 22 percent, according to the report. According to
US-VISIT, however, those visitors are already screened through different avenues
from the US-VISIT program. The report found that customs and border protection
officials are unable to fully screen even those visitors who are eligible for
US-VISIT. Officers must check several databases to verify a traveler's identity,
slowing the process considerably and leading to a less rigorous query, according
to the report.
Source: CNN
Photo: Associated Press |
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United States Work Visa for Nurses
 NEW YORK, NY
- The United States Nurse Visa classification has changed
several of times in the last 20 years. The H-1A visa classification was enabled
through the Nursing Relief Act of 1989 but was later terminated on September 1,
1995. Then in 1999, the United States experienced a shortage of nurses and
created the H-1C nurse visa classification. The program was authorized by the
United States Congress through the Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged Area Act of
1999. However, the H-1C visa classification expired on June 13, 2005.
There is currently no specific nurse visa available in the United States. However, there
are two ways that foreign individuals wishing to work as registered nurses in
the United States can apply:
H-1B Visa Eligibility Requirements: In order for the
petitioning employer to hire a foreign RN (registered nurse), the registered
nurse must qualify for a specialty occupation. Although general RNs will not
typically be eligible for H-1B visa status, certain specialized nursing occupations
are likely to require a bachelor’s or higher degree as the minimum requirement
for entry into that specialized field. Consequently, those positions have a
great chance of satisfying the H-1B requirements. Other requirements may be a
state license to practice the occupation, completion of degree, experience, and
expertise.
TN Visa Eligibility Requirements: Registered nurses are also on the list of
approved NAFTA professions. Note that the TN visa is only available to citizens
of Canada or Mexico, while the H-1B classification is open for other nationals.
Source: US Immigration Support |
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Deal on Immigration Bill Collapses amid Partisan Fight
 WASHINGTON, DC
- Efforts to rewrite the nation's immigration laws collapsed in the Senate
yesterday, renewing doubts about Congress's ability and willingness to tackle
the complex, emotional issue in an election year. A tenuous bipartisan
compromise, announced a day earlier, fell apart when Democrats rejected
conservative Republicans' demands for numerous changes, some designed to limit
the number of illegal immigrants who could become eligible for
citizenship.
Trapped between the conservatives' demands and the Democrats' parliamentary
powers to limit amendments, GOP leaders conceded a setback. But they vowed to
try again when Congress returns from a two-week recess. Several senators,
including Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), expressed optimism. But Sen.
Richard J. Durbin (Ill.), the second-ranking Democrat, said: "It's going to be a
tough, uphill battle now." Frist had hoped to settle the issue ahead of the
large protests scheduled for next week in Washington and other cities by Latino
groups and their allies. They oppose a House-passed measure that theoretically
would deport the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants and penalize their
employers. Some Democrats say the demonstrations will increase pressure on the
Senate to pass more lenient legislation, but others say the delay might give
opponents time to scrutinize the proposals and raise objections.
Most senators agree with House members that border security should be
strengthened, and the bills being considered would pour money into that cause.
Unlike the House, however, a majority of senators say some longtime undocumented
workers should be given a chance to obtain legal status -- and possibly
citizenship -- as a nod to the nation's demand for low-wage employees and to
the unfeasibility of apprehending and deporting millions of people..
Source: The Washington Post |
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