New York, June 2008
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IMMIGRATION A HOT TOPIC AMONG PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
 Washington,
D.C. - Immigration continues to be part of the talk among politicians
especially during this election year. For the first time some presidential
candidates debated on major Hispanic channels and some candidates refused to be
a part of it. Some candidates had their debates translated into Spanish with the
assistance of a teleprompter. One Republican candidate, Tom Tancredo, decided to
boycott a presidential debate sponsored by the Spanish-language network called
Telemundo. The reason being that he believes
illegal immigrants should know the
official language of the United States because after all they need to understand
English to become a U.S. citizen. He added that he was not anti-immigration for
not wanting to participate but rather was anti-illegal immigration. Many saw his
stance as damaging and possibly alienating potential supporters of Hispanic
background. While some recognize that the U.S. is a country that has been built
by immigrants they also feel like illegal immigration must be addressed. There
are an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States and many
more continue to make their way. While they make many sacrifices, some believe
that they take more from the country than they give. They make references to
federal income taxes that are not filed, to health care programs they June take
advantage of and other public services illegal immigrants June use. These critics
want to see stricter penalties for those employers who willingly hire illegal
immigrants.
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ELIMINATING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WOULD HURT U.S. ECONOMY
 PHILADELPHIA,
PA - Illegal immigrants sometimes work more than one
job if the opportunity
comes up because they want to give themselves and their families a better life.
They sometimes live in cramped quarters and send money back home whenever they
can. The goal of many is to save money to buy a little place of their own and be
able to support their family. They want to give their kids better opportunities
especially when it comes to education. Many immigrants believe that a higher
education is the key to a better life so education is highly valued. In a recent
study done by the Americans for Immigration Reform they found that eliminating
illegal immigrants from the United States would have a devastating effect on the
economy. Often they are not compensated fairly and work without benefits or
little if any. Some employers use it to their advantage and pay them less than
minimum wage. Other times they June only be working for tips. If they report them
to local authorities the employers June fire them along with others. According to
the study, the states that would most be affected if illegal immigrants were not
around would be California followed by Texas. It is estimated that Texas has
about 1.2 million illegal immigrants who spend about $220 billion in the state.
With this study the Americans for Immigration Reform hope that politicians will
be more supportive of immigration reform. Last year the same group released a
report that it costs $27 billion yearly to educate, provide health care and
incarcerate illegal immigrants in six states with Texas being one of them. |
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APPROVAL TO EXTEND TN VISA STATUS HIGHLY LIKELY
 DETROIT,
MI - NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) was formed with the purpose
of facilitating trade between the United States, Canada and Mexico. It has
eliminated many trade barriers and changed how some business transactions take
place. In addition NAFTA made it easier for Mexican and Canadian professionals
to work in the United States under the TN visa. However, the TN must be renewed
on an annual basis. Currently there is no limit on how many times the TN status
can be renewed as long as the applicant shows proof that they have no intention
of immigrating to the United States. The same rules apply to the dependents of
Mexican and Canadian professionals who join them. Under a new proposal the TN
status would be good for a period of three years instead of one. Not only would
it make it more attractive for Mexican and Canadian professionals to work in the
United States but it would make it easier for those with TN status and their
employers. It would save them money due to a longer TN status and cause less
work interruptions. The result would be a workforce with greater predictability.
Chances of the proposal being accepted are high since no approval from Congress
is needed. While it would be nice if Canadians returned the favor by allowing a
longer TN status for Americans working in Canada, the U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS) is not expecting it. The agency hopes that this
type of proposal will encourage similar measures among the NAFTA countries. |
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DEPORTATION WORKSHOPS NOW BEING OFFERED
 PHOENIX, AZ
- Many illegal immigrants know that the chance of being
deported has increased
in recent years. Before some would not worry about immigration raids because
they thought they were in a “safe area” and would not be affected. However now
it is a different story. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE has
significantly increased the number of teams that are dedicated to going after
illegal immigrants already in the United States. The teams are showing up in
unexpected places and rounding up many illegal immigrants in record numbers. Due
to the constant threat of deportation immigration activists are trying to better
prepare illegal immigrants in case of deportation. They have now started holding
deportation workshops. Many illegal immigrants have children with them in the
United States who are U.S. citizens. In the case that the parent or parents get
deported, they are three scenarios that can happen to their children. The first
one is that their children get deported with them but most of the time the
government will not pay for them. The second scenario is to leave their children
with a designated caretaker in the United States. The last scenario is that the
children get turned over to social services when there is no designated
caretaker. At the workshops activists are encouraging parents to list in writing
a designated caretaker and get it notarized. They are also encouraging a
deportation fund to be set up so rent along with other basic necessities can be
paid for the family left behind. Part of the fund could also go toward paying
bail and/or an immigration lawyer to fight deportation.
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BECOMING U.S. CITIZENS IN THE WAR ZONE
 WASHINGTON,
D.C. - Many military members who are non-citizens continue to fight our
country. They are permanent residents who came to the United States usually as
children or teenagers. Out of the four-thousand plus U.S. military members who
have paid the ultimately sacrifice in the war of terrorism more than 100 have
been non-citizens. To date about 109 military members have been granted
posthumous American citizenship by the USCIS. Gaining citizenship is expedited
once a military member serves in the war against terror but even yet they June
find themselves waiting for months. As permanent residents they are limited to
certain jobs in the military and can only be enlisted members. They also face
other restrictions like a stricter background check and not being able to
re-enlist until gaining American citizenship. However, they are just as willing
as their comrades to defend the United States. Last Memorial Day 44 U.S.
military members became American citizens in Kabul, Afghanistan. The group was
made up of soldiers and marines from Australia, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican
Republic, El Salvador, Germany, Ghana, Haiti, Iran, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua,
Nigeria, the Philippines, Peru, Poland, Sierra Leone, St. Vincent-Grenadines,
Trinidad and Tobago and the Ukraine. Currently there are about 20,000 permanent
residents who are enlisted in the U.S. military. Since 9/11 greater than 40,000
members of the U.S. military have gained American citizenship. About 5,000
members have had their oath ceremony abroad, sometimes in the combat zone. |
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CATHOLIC GROUP OFFERING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS A SANCTUARY
 SAN
ANTONIO,
TX - A Catholic group has sprung up in San Antonio, Texas that wants to be a
sanctuary for illegal immigrants. The goal is to be able to offer the illegal
immigrants food, health care and a place to stay. So far they have found some
volunteers who are willing to take in the immigrants in their homes but their
goal is to open up a shelter. They are also working on setting up a hotline for
illegal immigrants. Immigrants needing sanctuary would just have to ask for
“Romo” and help could soon be on its way. “Romo” is in reference to a Mexican
priest. He was killed during the 1920s and later was made a Catholic saint. Many
illegal immigrants still pray to Saint Romo for a successful crossing of the
U.S.-Mexico border. Other similar sanctuary movements have been started across
the United States. Some have provided refuge to parents who are facing
deportation and June be separated from the U.S.-born children. To those who are
part of the “Romo” group in San Antonio helping illegal immigrants is seen as an
obligation. The group is in the process of developing its program and for now is
able to offer breakfast to day laborers. In addition, they have been handing out
a card that has an image of Saint Romo with a phone number listed on the
opposite side. The number is that of the “Romo line” and will connect immigrants
wanting help with San Antonio supporters. A USCIS spokesperson warned that such
sanctuary actions could lead to criminal liability. |
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MARRIAGE FRAUD RINGS BEING TARGETED
 LOS
ANGELES,
CA - Gaining United States citizenship is highly coveted and some will take
extreme measures to attain it. There are many marriages that take place between
a U.S. citizen and non-citizen and are legit. However, there are others who get
married with the sole purpose of attaining U.S. citizenship. Most of the time
the fraudulent marriages will take place with the assistance of marriage rings.
They are highly organized and even offer coaching on how to make the marriage
appear legit. Such coaching included having the wedding gown on hand, arranging
staging for pictures and fake wedding pictures. The clients are sometimes
charged up to $10,000 or more for the service and “agents” along with the
American “spouse” get their share. Recently more than eighty people throughout
Florida were arrested for alleged marriage fraud. The three agencies that worked
together were U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Citizenship
and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle
District of Florida. The successful joint operation was called “Knot so Fast.”
They went after everyone who took part in the marriage fraud which included
those who arranged the marriages, the foreign nationals and the American
“spouses.” Many of them are now facing criminal charges but some are also facing
deportation charges. The ICE with the collaboration of other government agencies
continues to launch an increasing number of document and benefit fraud
investigations. This has translated into greater number of criminal indictments,
arrests and convictions.
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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
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