A Note from the Editors:

On January 25th President Bush spoke about homeland security at Southern Maine Technical College. The President stated his budget includes $11 billion for controlling of our borders and a 29 percent increase in the budget of the INS, to make sure it modernizes reporting data. He noted that the INS estimates that 40 percent of the people who are here illegally have overstayed their visas, and to "make sure they're not part of some al Qaeda network that wants to hit the United States....we're looking, we're listening, we're following every single lead." A revival of 245(i) could save a lot of looking.

The INS has released the chapter on Immigrants from the 1999 Statistical Yearbook of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The 68 pages are replete with charts, graphs and tables with statistics on those admitted or adjusted to permanent resident status since, for some of the tables, 1820. Just as those fighting a battle do not get an overall view of the war, those on the front lines of immigration issues may not have a clear sense of the actual trends and numbers. Grounding discussion of immigration policy on data rather than emotional epithets can move the discussion forward in a constructive way.

Articles

Enriched or Entangled? - Opportunities and Risks In Hiring Foreign Workers (Part II)
Angelo A. Paparelli and J. Ira Burkemper complete their list of suggestions on how business can avoid problems with and enjoy the benefits of employing foreign workers.

Evidence of Source of Capital in Immigrant Investor Cases (Part III)
In the third in this series Lincoln Stone and Stephen Yale-Loehr provide information on challenges based statute to INS queries about the the source of capital for immigrant investor visas.

Citizenship Information in Hmong
The INS has released citizenship information for members of the Hmong and Laotian community (revision of 9/27/01) in Hmong.

Efforts to Track Foreign Students Are Said to Lag
The New York Times [registration required] reports that despite promises to tighten controls on student visas after September 11, the government is at least a year from making the system safer from terrorists, who used the visas while plotting the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the September attacks.

Department of Justice Announces T Visa for Victims of Trafficking
Carl R. Baldwin comments on the new T visa and concludes "the government is engaged in doublespeak: eloquently proclaiming its concern for victims of trafficking, and yet making it difficult for them to survive in the United States."

Visa Issues for Nonimmigrant Spouses
Cyrus D. Mehta writes about the recent legislation allowing spouses of L and E visa holder to work, and other issues for nonimmigrant spouses.

Debate Continues Over Licensing Illegals to Drive
Foxnews reports that some lawmakers are coming up with an innovative solution for solving the problem of illegal immigrants driving on America's roads: They want to license them so they are no longer driving illegally.

INS Increases Filing Fees
Sherry L. Neal writes about the upcoming increases in INS filing fees.

Hundreds of Hispanics Protest Sheriff's Request for INS Data
The Florida Times-Union reports that Hispanic migrant workers, fearing they could get swept up in the state's anti-terrorism fight, are protesting the Collier County sheriff's effort to get access to the federal government's database of illegal aliens.

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Letters to Editor

To write to Editors, send emails to weeklyeditor@ilw.com.

Dear Editor:

It is amazing how advanced the U.S. is yet when it comes to immigration it lacks so much.

The appropriate and the most efficient thing to do about the 9 million illegals living and working in America is to offer them all social security numbers and green cards (no matter what their status is right now), they are already here living, working, functioning, and maybe also commiting crimes etc., Probably most of them have children born in U.S. (that makes the kids citizens).

It is immature (ignorant) for any law inforcement agency (especially the INS) to try to catch or gather together 9 million people and disperse them around the World to the places from which they came. You who are against legalizing those already here immagine how much of your tax dollars would be wasted and most of those people couldn't be deported any how, and those that would be deported, in all probability, may leave half of their families here (US born children) for you to raise, feed, school, care, etc., Why bother with all that nonsense and waste millions of dollars and cause havoc amongst many many families? They, (like you) are people too.

Wouldn't it make much more sense, humanely and economically, to document all these people (say, like within six months), than the gov. would know who they are, where they live, and would enjoy their tax dollars as well. When this is done than we can make laws about illegals - you get cought without documents in the US you go where you came from.

A Reader

Dear Editor:

What made the United States as successful as it is, is largely based on its mix & skills of immigrants over the centuries, from all around the globe.

If that's so, how come nowadays one's more likely to become a legal immigrant, by claiming to be an uneducated, unskilled, 'no-penny-to-your-name' - refugee:
-better you not speak a single word of english
-better you likely to rely on the american taxpayer
-better you aint got no way to support yourself
-better you got no skills of use ...

...than being a skilled, well-funded & able citizen from Europe or South-America, with enough resources to support yourself & contribute to the whole-&-good of this country .

?

Folks were told by the INS in PHX, Az that the U.S. is VERY much interested in their investment, but quote "...quite frankly, we're not at all interested in you as an individual..."

What's wrong with you America?

Have you forgotten your formula of success ?

(Chick)
name & address avail. upon request

Immigrant Life

'Every immigrant in United States has rights' By Elizabeth Silva-Shafik

I am a Mexican mother of two married to an Egyptian. I always had a dream to vote. I love been an American. I think it is our responsibility to learn American laws. Unfortunately, I learned it the hard way.

I had a bad experience that lead to my husband to an almost deportation situation. I am fighting to keep our family here, in the United States, as I would not like to live in Egypt. I am an outgoing go-for-it girl. I am very independent, love my freedom and like the type of life we have created for ourselves in the past seven years in this country. ..........................(Cont'd)

This week's chat schedule

When Attorney Monday, February 4 9:00 pm Eastern Time Kevin Dixler Wednesday, February 6 9:00 pm Eastern Time Raj Bhushan

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