A group of Silicon Valley geeks try to bring about immigration reform with the Startup Visa Act

At the end of February, Senators John Kerry (D - Mass.) and Richard Lugar (R - Indiana) introduced the Startup Visa Act of 2010, which will let immigrant entrepreneurs earn a two-year visa if they get at least $250,000 in venture capital investment, and then earn them legal US residence if that startup creates five or more new jobs, gets a second round of funding of over $1 million, or nets $1 million or more in revenue.

"Global competition for talent and investment grows more intense daily and the United States must step up or be left behind," Sen. Kerry said in introducing the bill. "Everywhere Dick Lugar and I travel for the Foreign Relations Committee, we see firsthand the entrepreneurial spirit driving the economies of our competitors. Creating a new magnet for innovations and innovators to come to the United States and create jobs here will offer our economy a double shot in the arm -- robust job creation at home and reaffirmation that we're the world's best place to do business."

This week, a group of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and venture capitalists led by former PayPal executive turned startup investor and advisor Dave McClure will be heading to Washington DC to promote the bill to legislators in hopes of showing the power that this bill holds.

"There are no lobbyists, no campaign contributions, no PR agencies," McClure writes on the site dedicated to the bill. "This is a 100% grass-roots movement of citizens who want to encourage job creation and innovation in the United States."

More than 160 notable VCs and investors have voiced their support for the bill, and there are plenty of ways for citizens to join in on the startupvisa.com campaign page.

Source:betanews.com/

What Next for Cameron - Immigration?

David Cameron so enjoyed goading Gordon Brown about Saturday's threatened British Airways strike, and Unite's involvement in both the dispute and the Labour Party, you have to wonder if the Tory leader wants the stoppage to happen so he can continue trying to make political capital out of the misery of passengers. George Osborne sitting next to him was as excited today as I've ever seen him. We know BA doesn't want it to go-ahead(unless it's on a secret union busting mission), the Unite leadership's looking for a way out and Brown's desperate for it to be resolved. But Cameron? I half expect him to order Tory MPs to volunteer to push trolleys and serve drinks.

Ed Vaizey told the truth - Cameron's far more Right-wing than he lets on. The Tory leader's more at home playing the union card than playing with huskies. It's Cameron not Labour or Britain that's going back to the 1970s, reverting to Tory union bashing. What next as Cameron retreats into his comfort zone - playing the race card? A lot of his unreconstructed party are urging him talk more about immigration and he may be tempted, particularly when Tory Towers is congratulating itself over the attacks on Unite.

I made a private vow earlier today not to bother posting again on Stalybride and Hyde until the Labour selection result's know. I was beginning to worry I was becoming obsessed. But I've heard shortlisted Barbara Roche has pulled out and Floyd Millen's threatening to do likewise. The reason is James Purnell and Peter Mandelson insisting - rules or no rules - that Purnell's mate, Johnny Reynolds, be included on the shortlist. Well done boys. What a fiasco.

And for those who like to keep an eye on selections, Valerie "sister of Keith" Vaz won the Labour nomination in Walsall South.

Source:blogs.mirror.co.uk/

Boston immigration trial starts for Homeland boss

BOSTON — A trial has begun in Boston for a former top U.S. Department of Homeland Security official accused of encouraging her Brazilian housekeeper to remain in the United States illegally.

Lorraine Henderson was a regional director of homeland security, customs and border protection. She was responsible for stopping illegal immigrants from entering the country through Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

During opening statements in Henderson's trial in U.S. District Court on Monday a prosecutor told jurors she violated the immigration law she had taken an oath to uphold. The charge carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence upon conviction.

Henderson's lawyer didn't make an opening statement.

The trial resumes Tuesday.

Source:AFP

Asylum-seekers moved to mainland

MANY Christmas Island asylum-seekers with refugee claims in the final stages of approval have been relocated to low security government-run immigration transit centres in Brisbane and Melbourne since October.

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship yesterday confirmed that more than a dozen family groups, unaccompanied minors and single women have been resettled from the Indian Ocean territory to make way for the surge of new asylum-seekers.

That surge has pushed the island's crammed detention centre to bursting point. The centre, with a capacity of 2042, is now holding 1977 immigration detainees.

Those regarded as vulnerable, or in the final stages of immigration processing, are being fast-tracked off the island, said a senior DIAC official, who asked not to be named.

The department denied the detainee transfers meant a change in government policy, despite continued denials by the Rudd government that asylum-seekers on Christmas Island would not be transferred to the mainland because of the surge.

"As the numbers of people increase, then the number of people coming off will also increase as well," the official said.

His comments coincided with the departure yesterday of a mainland-bound department-charter flight believed to be carrying more than 100 people, although not all passengers were asylum-seekers. Last Wednesday, 39 asylum-seekers were flown off the island, 25 being going to special government-run transit accommodation in Brisbane and 14 to Melbourne

Source:theaustralian.com.au

Immigration raid leads to 20 deportations

IMMIGRATION authorities will send 20 illegal workers back to China after a police raid on a Brisbane food processing plant.

The nine men and 11 women, all Chinese nationals, were working at the Morningside plant in the early hours yesterday.

A criminal warrant was also executed at the factory by the Australian Federal Police and immigration investigators to get evidence of the workers' employment.

Two men detained had their visas cancelled for working in breach of their visa conditions and the remainder of the group had all overstayed their visas.

Investigations are ongoing.

A Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) spokesman said they would pursue with the Director of Public Prosecutions any possible criminal prosecution related to the hiring and exploitation of illegal workers.

"This should serve as a warning that employing illegal workers will not be tolerated and that you can literally lose your workforce overnight,'' the spokesman said.

"All employers need to be aware it is a criminal offence to employ or refer a person for employment where that person is not entitled to work in Australia.''

Employers convicted of illegal worker offences face fines of up to $13,200 and/or two years' imprisonment per illegal worker.

Companies face fines of up to $66,000 per illegal worker.

Source:heraldsun.com.au/

Crackdown on smuggling and immigration off Welsh coast

A crackdown on organised crime, drug smuggling, illegal immigration and people smuggling on the Welsh coast is being launched.

Coast Watch Wales brings together law enforcement bodies responsible for Wales' 750 miles of coastline.

These include police, coastguards and UK Border Agency officers.

Described as a "maritime Neighbourhood Watch", a single contact point will let boat users and coastal communities make tip-offs about suspicious activity.

With the help of the public, a dedicated team will look to identify vessels and individuals engaged in criminal activity, disrupt their operations and prosecute those involved.

Officers will assess and investigate intelligence provided via the Coast Watch Wales website and e-mail set up for people to pass on information, 24 hours a day.

The public can also phone the Crime Stoppers helpline, which is 0800 555 111, to leave information but are reminded to call 999 for emergencies.

Posters are being placed at key locations from marinas to seaside pubs.

Andy Edwards, deputy chief constable at Dyfed-Powys Police, said: "This is a significant first for Wales showing how everyone concerned with our coastline and the maritime community can work together to safeguard our national borders."
Marc Owen, UK Border Force Director for Wales, said they wanted to create a maritime version of Neighbourhood Watch.

"We're asking maritime communities to help us protect the Welsh coastline by making it simpler to report suspicious activity.

"The UK Border Agency works 365 days a year to prevent illegal immigration and smuggling at the Welsh coast - which forms a large part of the UK's border."

Recent high profile cases of illegal activity off the Welsh coast include Operation Panama Canal which investigated organised crime.

Centred on a business premises at Barry Docks it resulted with the arrest and prosecution of more than 20 people from the UK, Spain, France and Jamaica.

Bales of cocaine

About 400 kilos of cannabis, more than 60 kilos of Class A drugs, 10 kilos of other Class B drugs, two handguns and ammunition were recovered along with a large amount of cash.

The criminal gang had spent months visiting remote beaches and marinas in south and west Wales to conduct reconnaissance and had planned to transport drugs from Jamaica on board a yacht.

In 2008, bales of cocaine with an estimated street value of more than £2m washed up on beaches in north and west Wales.

All were found and reported by the public.

The same year police and UK Border agency officers intercepted a vessel docking at Port Talbot and two Venezuelan men were stopped as they left the ship.

Cocaine with an estimated street value of £500,000 was recovered. One of the men was jailed for 16 years at Swansea Crown Court.

Source:bbc.co.uk

Immigration detainees moved to N.J. protest boost in phone charges

KEARNY -- Immigration detainees who were moved here when New York City shut its detention center last month face an 800 percent increase in telephone charges to contact relatives or lawyers, according to a report in The New York Times.

The report said more than 180 detainees were moved to the Hudson County Correctional Center here. Phone calls from the center cost more than 89 cents per minute and system was described as difficult to use, according to detainees who contacted the American Bar Association for help. Detainees threatened to conduct a hunger strike.

Source:nj.com/

Keep America a land of hope: A St. Patrick's Day wish -- for our nation to remain a beacon

This St. Patrick's Day marks a dire economic situation in Ireland. The financial meltdown is sparking increased pressure for emigration to the U.S. in general, and New York in particular.

The flow of Irish immigrants into America directly corresponds to the Emerald Isle's economic status. During the 1990s, when the Celtic Tiger was among the world's most vibrant economies, Americans saw for the first time the seeds of a reverse migration when Irish-Americans sought opportunity in their ancestral home. But the Irish boom has gone bust along with the rest of the world's developed economies, and many who sought solace abroad must now come back to America to make a better life.

Problems facing Irish immigrants are exacerbated by demographic changes in immigration flows in recent decades. These changes, combined with the increasingly anti-immigrant feeling that hard times have always spawned, are conspiring to throw up a virtual "No Irish Need Apply" sign on the American border.

Visas for family reunification are given priority to would-be immigrants, and there are very few legal slots left after the family visas are distributed. At most, only a few hundred spots are left for the Irish, who are placed behind more recent arrivals from Latin America and Asia. Many immigrants with a place further down the list are forced into the shadows of undocumented status.

Irish immigration is best dealt with within the context of comprehensive immigration reform to rationalize and humanize a process for the 11 million undocumented immigrants who already live and work here. President Obama came into office promising such an overhaul, and has moved to finally turn his attention to it this year despite the likelihood of Republican opposition in Congress.

Absent that, there are interim steps that can help all immigrants in staking their claim to the American Dream, including expanding the available pool of legal entry visas for all immigrants.

A legislative reauthorization and expansion of diversity visas for historically underrepresented populations would permit the Irish and others to legally enter this country on the same grounds as recent immigrants who qualified under family reunification.

The DREAM Act would provide a path for legalization to those who arrived as young children with immigrant parents and were raised and educated in America. The DREAM Act would legalize young adults who are American in every way but their paperwork, and relieve pressure on the pool of visas for other immigrants. Congress must pass the legislation. It is the right thing to do.

It is unconscionable that so many Americans have forgotten where they came from, that all of us except Native Americans are immigrants or their descendants. Slamming the door behind us is not only bad policy, it is un-American. It doesn't seem as if it should be necessary to remind decision makers of the contributions Irish-Americans have made to this country, but apparently it still is.

Irish leaders here and abroad are frustrated by Washington's inability to confront a failed immigration policy that robs the United States of the important skills and energy provided by the immigrants that are the backbone of American life.

To honor the contributions of all immigrants, indeed to honor America, we should commit again this St. Patrick's Day to finally embrace and enact comprehensive immigration reform.

O'Dwyer, a lawyer in the Manhattan firm of O'Dwyer and Bernstien, is chairman of the Emerald Isle Immigration Center.

Source:nydailynews.com/

Immigration status of all O.C. jail inmates will be checked

All inmates booked into Orange County jails will have their immigration status checked through a fingerprint identification program that started Tuesday.

Orange County joins 11 other California counties -- including Los Angeles, San Diego and Ventura -- that have started checking the status of inmates against a federal database as part of a national program to identify and deport undocumented immigrants who land in jail. The program, started in late 2008, is in place in dozens of municipalities nationwide.

Under the Secure Communities Initiative, jail officials will check inmates' fingerprints against FBI criminal records and immigration records maintained by the Department of Homeland Security, authorities said. The database houses fingerprints of people who have had contact with the department, such as those who have applied for some type of immigration benefit. Previously, specially trained deputies screened inmates upon arrival in Orange County jails. Those who were foreign-born were checked further for immigration status.

Since the Secure Communities Initiative began, 18,000 immigrants charged with crimes such as murder, kidnapping and rape -- known as Level 1 offenses -- have been identified nationwide. Of those, 4,000 have been deported. An additional 25,000 immigrants charged with lesser crimes such as burglary, domestic violence and some property crimes have been deported.

The program was introduced as Sheriff Sandra Hutchens negotiates with the Department of Homeland Security to house immigration detainees in county jails to help offset a massive budget shortfall.

Source:latimes.com/

Immigration system must be fixed now

Most liberals and conservatives agree that our immigration system is seriously broken. With over 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S., the failure of the current system is apparent. Some lay the blame on undocumented immigrants (or “illegals”) themselves. To the “anti-illegals” crowd, the problem is a lack of border security. They believe that immigrants enter the country illegally simply because they can.

This view illustrates what civil rights activist Lani Guinier calls “blaming the canary in the coal mine.” Back in the day, coal miners brought canaries with them into mines to detect poisonous gas. If the canary croaked, the miners knew to get out ASAP. The situation of undocumented immigrants and other marginalized groups is analogous to the canary in the coalmine. When we see these groups gasping for air, the solution is not to blame the canary, it is to recognize the poisonous environment we all share and act to change it.

Many immigrants lack lawful immigrant status not because it is easy to break our laws but because it is too hard to get legal status under the current system. As Senator McCain wrote in a 2005 editorial, “part of the failure of the existing system is its inability to provide sufficient legal channels to pair willing workers with willing employers.” Another big problem is the gigantic backlog for family-based immigration petitions. For example, according to the US State Dept.’s April 2010 Visa Bulletin, it takes over five years for a legal Mexican immigrant to get a visa for their child or spouse, and up to four years for a legal immigrant from China or India.

For many, the American dream remains elusive because our immigration system is broken. But, although reform is needed, pushing for legislative reform isn’t the only way we can help our local immigrant communities. The most important thing we can do is help change lives, and no change is greater than the opportunity to apply for citizenship.

Benefits of US citizenship include the ability to sponsor relatives and family members so they can immigrate to the US, the freedom to live and work permanently in the US, as well as the fact that a citizen cannot be deported or denied entry into the US. While there are an estimated 12 million undocumented in the US, according to the US Census Bureau there are also 12.6 million immigrants in the US with legal permanent resident status, and one half of them may now be eligible for citizenship.

On April 17, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) will sponsor “Citizenship Day 2010,” a single-day workshop providing assistance to immigrants eligible to become US citizens. This year, AILA will be hosting a citizenship workshop at Hofstra’s Law School. My fellow law students and I who are organizing the workshop are now looking for Hofstra students who are bilingual to assist us on April 17. The workshop also will be open to all Hofstra students and their family members. Legal assistance will be provided for free.

If you or your family member is a legal permanent resident considering becoming a citizen, or if you are otherwise interested in this nationwide effort to bring more people the benefits and blessings of American Citizenship, please contact me at JLESCH2@pride.hofstra.edu for more information.

Source:hofstrachronicle.com/

Phuket Immigration Eyes Expat Trouble-Makers

THE NEW Superintendent of Phuket Immigration, Police Colonel Panuwat Ruamrak, plans a new data base to keep Phuket free of expat trouble-makers. He has already met with about 10 honorary consuls on Phuket and aims to improve relations with all diplomatic representatives.

German Honorary Consul Dirk Naumann said today that the move was ''very positive'' and that corruption, a distinguishing feature some time ago of Immigration on Phuket, no longer seemed to be evident.
Mr Naumann said the new approach by Immigration, along with the first group meeting of honorary consuls with the governor earlier this year, were positive steps towards solving some of the island's key issues, especially public transport.

Today Colonel Panuwat met Australian honorary consul and resort owner Larry Cunningham, who told him that Phuket ''still has very big problems.'' But he added: ''This governor is doing more that all the past governors.

''The tuk-tuk problem especially has to be fixed.''

Mr Cunningham said that Bali was rising again as a rival for Phuket because tourists were spreading the word about ''the tuk-tuks, the jet-skis, the mafia, the extortion by police.''

''If visitors have a good time, they will tell four or five people,'' Mr Cunningham said. ''If they have a bad time, they will tell 40 or 50 people.''

Mr Cunningham said that because he was a resort owner as well as honorary consul, he was very aware of the negatives on Phuket and wanted them to be corrected as soon as possible.

''It costs 500 baht for a 15-minute journey between Surin and Patong,'' Mr Cunningham said. ''That is extremely expensive.''

Yet, he added, the island represented good value in other ways.

''I took five people to lunch in Rawai recently and it cost me $50,'' he said. ''In Australia it would cost me 10 times that.''

He also said that the changes that the island needs had to be driven from Bangkok by the national government.

''Most of the local Phuket news media do not report the problems, and the Bangkok Post and the Nation never mention them,'' he said. ''As a result, the government in Bangkok does not know what's happening.''

Colonel Panuwat said that the motto of the Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, Lieutenant General Wooti Lippatapanlop, was: ''Make Phuket Clean and Safe.'' As a former Director of Tourism, Lt General Wooti understood the issues well, Colonel Panuwat said.

He said he planned to report regularly on the situation on Phuket and would make sure the information was passed to the Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister's Department.

Source:phuketwan.com

It is not immigration

It is not immigration. As fine as most of our Mexican brothers and sisters are, it is "invasion" to enter a country without permission. It is not immigration, and it has to stop.

America must remain free and independent. We cannot survive being overrun by people who do not wish to assimilate, and who do not appreciate the unique treasure of our Constitution or our heritage of freedom.

Yes, we had slavery, but millions of people fought and so many died to end it. Yes, we had discrimination and abuses, but millions of people who believed in the promise of the real America marched, wrote letters, sent telegrams, and voted, and some died to end that bad chapter. Yes, some of this still exists today in America, as it does everywhere, but no other nation in history tells people, "You are born free with unalienable rights from God." No man may take that freedom from you. You have a right and a duty to defend those freedoms.

Allowing the growing influx of immigrants who don't understand the heritage of America — or the countless sacrifices that have made it possible — will lead to the loss of that heritage, and of the promise that is America.

Americans are not against any people. We are made up of all nations. What we are so concerned with is people coming in not learning the language or the history and making no pledge of loyalty to our blessed Constitution — inspired by God, a great gift to the world, a document that has allowed for the greatest prosperity and overall success of any nation ever. Letting too many people come in illegally will lead to the neglect, disrespect, and loss of the protection and power of that great Constitution of the United States. There is no other nation like us, and if anyone has arguments to the contrary, it makes us wonder why they are here.

In 1917, my grandparents came through lawful immigration channels, and had to learn some English, our nation's official language, so they could understand and appreciate our culture. Here we are all Americans — not Irish, not Polish, not Italians, not Jews, not Mexicans, not Africans, though they are all here. We are all Americans first. We all speak English as our primary language. We do not wave foreign flags. None of us want to take over our nation for "The Race."

We Americans appreciate each other. We work together, we help and rescue each other, we defend each other, we wish each other well, we share the World Series and the Super Bowl, and we love George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Santa Clause, and Superman. We fight with each other, then embrace each other, laugh and poke fun at each other's peculiarities, and even give our lives for each other.

We don't mind if immigrants want to join us and become loyal freedom-loving Americans — but we fiercely mind if they want to overrun us and turn our one-of-a-kind gem of a nation into something else, or into the place they fled where there was no free opportunity, no free expression, no freedom to assemble, and no freedom to keep their government in check as "We The People" possess here in America. Stand back and observe the awesome power of a free people as they take back their government in the near future. We will not have to shoot and rampage. We have free political channels to get it done, unless those channels are shut down illegally by any leader wishing to put himself above the law or the will of this people — in which case, stand way back . . . .

Look at it this way, Mr. Illegal Immigrant. What if my eighteen friends and I decide to live in your house, as you discover when you return from work one day soon? We will help out some, but we will need your insurance card, and will be drawing regular "help" from your bank account. As soon as we get the chance, we'll be bringing in our brothers, sisters, uncles, and — sorry — you wouldn't want us to leave out our grandparents, would you? I know it will be difficult, but you can always move out, and so long as we can keep drawing from your account, we can all handle the rent, and oh, my brother says he can handle your job OK. The boss likes him at $5.00/hr. less. So, thanks, we'll be moving in soon!

If the tables were turned on you like this, Mr. Illegal Immigrant, you wouldn't like it any more than we do. Your basic premise, which is that this is an "immigration" problem, is erroneous. "Immigration" is when people are "allowed" and welcomed to enter the United States. When people come across our borders without permission — literally breaking in — it is called an "invasion."

Now the impulsive reaction may be to say, "Racist." No, not at all. We care not who the invaders are or where they are from. We only care that they threaten to overrun our society and harm its stability. We know that many of the Mexican people who come here are very good people. They go to church. They are family people and add to our society. But we also have a big problem of our prisons being too filled with invaders, and all of our resources strained. And yet they keep coming. Not good. Also, there have been many Middle-Eastern marauders caught coming in. How many were not caught?

. . . And, Mr. Illegal Immigrant, are you for amnesty — which would likely open the door even wider to unchecked immigration? If you are for that, then you wish to take over our nation completely, because that is what it would mean with many more millions coming in, with the borders STILL NOT SEALED!

So, I ask you, who has the wrong perspective? I say: #1 — Seal the borders! #2 — Remove all serious offenders from our prisons and parole rolls and deport those criminals back to their country of origin, with a warning that to return would be an act of aggression against the U.S. From that point on, any illegal immigrant who commits a serious crime should be immediately deported upon conviction.

That would be a good start. No more illegal immigrants allowed to invade. Those who are already here and obeying the law should be allowed to go through the customary channels to become legal citizens, if they are prepared to do so, but there should be no amnesty, and absolutely no permission to routinely bring in family members or others. Such a policy is not racist. It is fundamental to the survival of a free and independent America.


Related links


Don't look now! Amnesty is back
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=127604

We March for America
http://reformimmigrationforamerica.org/blog/march-index/

President Obama: "No Amnesty for Illegal Aliens!"
http://www.grassfire.com/117/petition.asp?Ref_ID=3235&RID=11671540

D.C. Immigration "March for America" — Bi-partisan or Bi-national
http://lezgetreal.com/?p=28074

Tea Party Against Amnesty Protests Announced for April 15
http://www.mmdnewswire.com/amnesty-tea-party-7407.html

Joe Legal vs. Jose Illegal
http://blogs4borders.blogspot.com/2009/09/joe-legal-vs-jose-illegal.html

© Neil Brian Goldberg

Source:renewamerica.com

Panel focuses on queer API's and immigration

The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance ( NQAPIA ) is currently hosting a series of LGBT immigration public forums in cities across the country. These events are designed to bring about public discussion of comprehensive immigration reform ( CIR ) and to educate LGBT Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander ( AAPI ) communities and allied organizations on immigrant rights. The group hosted one such exhaustive and detailed presentation March 8 at the Merlo Public Library in partnership with its local members and ally organizations Invisible to Invincible ( I2I ) : Asian and Pacific Islander Pride of Chicago; Trikone-Chicago, an LGBT South Asian Group; and Akabaka Productions, a Queer Muslim Group. The panelists were Ben de Guzman of NQAPIA, Chicago queer Muslim activist Ifti Nasim and local immigration attorney Mimi Wilson.
It is estimated that there are currently 12 million to 15 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. Immigration activists, emboldened by the Obama victory, are pressing for another reform package after one failed to make headway during the Bush years. For LGBTQs, immigration reform is an issue for a number of reasons, including employment status; asylum on the grounds of sexual orientation and romantic partnerships with citizens/permanent residents. The speakers emphasized that the interests of LGBTQs and immigrants are not mutually exclusive.

No one can be denied entry into the United States because of his or her sexual orientation or a same-sex relationship. However, lesbians and gays cannot sponsor their partners for citizenship or permanent residency while married straight people can. Some gay and lesbian groups and immigration groups are attempting to rectify that via the Uniting American Families Act which would exactly replicate the current system of spousal sponsorship. The most famous case currently under review is that of the Philipino-American lesbians Shirley Tan and Jay Mercado, who face separation if Tan is deported because of having been undocumented.

Wilson talked about three ways in which queers might gain entry/citizenship: employment-based, family-based and asylum. Ifti Nasim, a Pakistani Muslim man, spoke of his work and that of SALGA ( the South Asian Lesbian and Gay Association, now largely inactive ) Chicago in aiding appeals for political asylum. Nasim said it has become much harder for Muslims to gain admission after 9/11, let alone gain asylum. For instance, all Muslim immigrants over the age of 16 from 18 countries, including Nasim's native Pakistan, are now subject to greater scrutiny of their visa applications and must register and be fingerprinted.

de Guzman spoke of NQAPIA, which has more than 30 chapters and makes a point of distributing multilingual flyers and information brochures. He said, "We do two things: Work with LGBTs on race and economic issues and with others to address homophobia and transphobia in a way that reflects different experiences and languages." He added that they were "thinking intentionally about whom we are including in CIR. The attempt is to create a transparent process that depends on coalition building."

de Guzman said that the issues of immigration reform were fourfold: a path to citizenship that could bring the undocumented out of the shadows; family reunification petitions; concerns about heightened enforcement and militarized borders and detention centers; and future flow or how to continue making immigration measures more humane. Regarding the Asian American immigrant and queer community, he said that queers faced the fact that "our stories are not part of the mainstream dialogue." In addition, "the LGBT focus in the queer community has been very narrowly focused on binational couples." He was in favor of reform that would help couples like Tan and Mercado, referring to them fondly and proudly as his "sisters." But he also said that mainstream gay groups need to stop using UAFA as a "litmus test" by which to judge their support for CIR, noting that such an attitude indicated a "profound disrespect. … We need a dialogue that covers all four issues."

As an example of heightened enforcement, he spoke of Cambodian refugees who were caught shoplifting and deported on charges of aggravated felonies. ( The heightened charge is a result of a 1996 Act which expanded the definition of "aggravated felony" in immigration law to include minor offenses. ) Queer and transgender immigrants "have very limited access to health care in detention centers that often don't even process women, much less trans people." He added that, " [ W ] hat is required is not the addressing of LGBTs in CIR but LGBT aspects of CIR," and that the current need for reform also indicated a pressing need for "intersectional analysis" and that "it's at the margins, [ amongst queers and transgender people, ] that the boundaries between categories break down." de Guzman also pointed out one of the triumphs of recent LGBT immigration reform issues: the lifting of the HIV ban.

The discussion afterwards focused on local efforts to bring about greater dialogue between communities and their queer members. Members of I2I reported being welcomed when handing out flyers at the recent Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations. There is a mass mobilization for immigration reform in Washington, D.C., March 21. A group calling itself Rainbow Riders will be leading two buses of queer immigrants and allies from Chicago. Jacky Luna, who is a key organizer of the effort, asked for support and donations. The buses leave March 20; requests for more information or about donations may be e-mailed to toci47@hotmail.com .

Source:windycitymediagroup.com/

Immigration reform backers heading to D.C.

Men and women from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru and other countries are spending their evenings at a Homestead community center writing slogans on large white sheets of paper.

``No More Raids,'' says one. ``No to the Separation of Families,'' reads another. ``Obama, Keep Your Promises,'' says a third.

The placards convey the aspirations of hundreds of undocumented immigrants and their U.S-born supporters who plan to board buses next week in Homestead and other Florida cities to participate in a March 21 march and rally in Washington, D.C. urging President Barack Obama to champion immigration reform.

``I'm going to Washington because the issue affects me personally,'' said Cynthia Moreno, an undocumented Mexican immigrant at Miami Dade College. ``I need the reform for myself, and for the millions of other undocumented immigrants living in the shadows right now.''

Moreno, 19, was one of about a dozen undocumented immigrants and supporters preparing placards this week at the offices of WeCount!, an immigrant rights organization in Homestead.

The rally comes at a time when the Obama administration appears ready to renew the uphill battle to legalize an estimated 10.8 million undocumented immigrants.

On Thursday, immigration reform advocates met with President Obama and were reassured of his commitment. Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., are drafting a bipartisan immigration reform bill.

In a speech last June, Schumer expressed optimism about the legislation, saying that Obama's ``leadership will be the critical difference in getting us over the hump this time around.''

Immigration activists plan to bring tens of thousands of supporters and undocumented immigrants to the nation's capital rally as a way to intensify pressure on the White House to act quickly on immigration reform.

``Florida's participation in the Washington event is remarkable,'' said Ali Noorani, executive director of Washington-based National Immigration Forum, one of the groups involved in organizing the rally.

Noorani said Florida organizers were planning to send 40 busloads to Washington, including about half a dozen from South Florida.

Moreno and the others are hopeful but skeptical of seeing legislation become law.

They desperately want immigration reform so they can stop being fearful of being deported, but are also tired of government promises.

Former President George W. Bush tried -- and failed -- several times to convince Congress to pass an immigration bill, while Obama last year put immigration reform on the back burner to advance healthcare reform.

``We have been fighting for immigration reform for years and nothing has happened,'' said Sebastián Sebastián, a 29-year-old Guatemalan artist in Homestead who will travel to Washington on one of the buses. ``It's time the government fulfills its promises.''

Source:miamiherald.com/

Cardinal Mahony to offer Mass at DC march for immigration reform

Joined by three other bishops, Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles will offer a Mass for immigrants this Sunday, March 21, preceding an interfaith march for immigration reform.

The march, whose formal name is “March for America: Change Takes Courage and Faith,” is sponsored by 35 Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim organizations. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and its immigration reform campaign (Justice for Immigrants) are not among the sponsors, though Justice for Immigrants has organized Cardinal Mahony’s Mass and is clearly supportive of the march.

Source:catholicculture.org/

Top Republican Dick Armey urges immigration reform, saying GOP is all wrong on immigrants

If you listen carefully, you can hear the sound of sanity.

Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey is urging the Republican party to rethink its attitude on immigration reform.

"Handle it with some sense of compassion and some sense of civility," he said Monday at he National Press Club.

"The Hispanic-American is the most natural-born constituency for the Republican Party since the Black American was in 1965. And these guys are trying to blow it.

"Just do it right... There is room in America. If you love America, if you love freedom, love work, are willing to pay your way, pay your taxes and obey the law, you should be welcome in America."

Sounds perfectly reasonable, no?

Source:irishcentral.com/

Mission District Mobilizes for Immigration Reform

An earlier version of this article said there will be 18 buses with 1,000 passengers going to Washington D.C. to march for immigration reform. Those buses will actually be coming to San Francisco on March 24 to march. Only one will go to D.C.. The article also said that the Mission Asset Fund found that 40,000 immigrants were ready to become citizens. It was the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials who concluded that figure. We regret the error.


In what some are calling the largest march in the Obama presidency,a projected 100,000 people will gather in Washington D.C. this Sunday to demand immigration reform.

About a half-dozen of the marchers will be from the Mission District. Tomorrow they will embark on a seven-day bus ride, stopping in eight cities along the way to hold press conferences and fill the 55 spaces on-board.

The march is part of a week of action organized by several local and national groups, ranging from faith-based organizations to labor unions. Activists said their goal is to get Congress to pass a bill this year that will lead to the legalization of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants nationwide.

Some riders are longtime activists, while others, like Oscar Mangandid, a 20-year-old City College student, are newcomers to the cause. "I just want to be part of the momentum," said Mangandid, who got involved three months ago.

A U.S. citizen and Mission resident, he said he is going on this trip for his mother, who came here from El Salvador and recently told him the hardships she underwent when she was undocumented.

Another new activist is Jose Palacios, a legal resident originally from El Salvador. Palacios is not going to Washington but is helping organize the San Francisco effort. Saying that there is "too much injustice," he first became involved because people in his neighborhood were being deported. Read more HERE.

Source:sfgate.com/

Even US immigration hire illegal workers

A court has been told how a senior ex-official working at US immigration and customs broke rules that she had taken an oath to uphold, when she encouraged her housekeeper to deceive US immigration and stay in the country.

The lady, Lorraine Henderson, who held a very prestigious job as regional director of Homeland security, was caught after a tip off and is currently suspended from the position without pay.

She was caught after the housekeeper, Fabiana Bittencourt, tape recorded her advising ‘not to leave the country’. or otherwise she would ‘not’ be allowed back into the country.

The case stems back to 2003, when Henderson hired the cleaner, but also crucially recommended her to her neighbour and work colleague Nora Ehrlich. In December 2005 all employees at the department for homeland security were advised not to hire illegal workers outside of their sphere of work.

Ehrlich asked Bittencourt of her US immigration status and when she discovered that she was in fact working illegally she promptly released her from her duties, she advised Henderson to do the same. 2 years later when Ehrlich discovered that Henderson was still employing the cleaner she tipped off authorities who arrested Bittencourt, who then co-operated and wore a wire to glean evidence against her employer.

Hendersons lawyer, Francis J. DiMento, had told the judge in the case that his client should not face trial due to a technicality about the nature of immigrant workers, it has however been denied and she will now face trial, where one of the prosecution

Source:globalvisas.com/