A Note from the Editors:

A heartrending news report in the Rocky Mountain News describes the ordeal of an undocumented mother as follows: "Imagine being ordered, not 48 hours after childbirth, with six stitches burning in your perineum, to bend over, spread your buttocks and cough. Imagine not seeing your baby for 13 days." The report goes on to say that this inhuman treatment, is far from being an aberration: "This is procedure, Fred Oliva, the jail director tells me. It sounds harsh, he admits. Cold- hearted even. But, he says, his job is security. All pregnant women in custody must go through the same shackle and strip-search routine. He doesn't know their history, doesn't need to know. All inmates follow the same rules. "The system requires a certain harshness," he says. "That's unfortunate. That's life." The news report concludes "She broke the law, yes. She crossed the border - paid a coyote $1,500 - to come here and work. For this crime, she ended up in jail, shackled, strip-searched, humiliated? For this, her newborn child must be punished, taken away, denied her mother's touch, her smell, her milk."

We submit that what this young mother experienced was unjust and cruel. It is hard to believe that such brutal treatment is necessary for protecting America from the fanatics who seek to destroy both the documented and the undocumented equally. In the name of national security we are being acclimated to such excessive harshness which is currently limited to undocumented immigrants. History teaches us that it will not be long before the same suffering is visited upon all Americans.

The words of Pastor Martin Niemoeller about the failure of Germans to speak out against the Nazis seem the only way to end this editorial: "First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me."

We welcome readers to send their comments to weeklyeditor@ilw.com.

Articles

H-1B Article 21: Preparing and Filing the H-1B Petition - Part 2
George N. Lester IV continues a discussion of the H-1B Petition.

INS Issues Reminder To Males From 18 Countries To Register
The INS reminded male citizens and nationals of 18 countries of the new requirement to register with INS. This registration is part of the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS), which is INS's first step towards developing a comprehensive entry-exit program by 2005.

Immigrants Account for Half of New U.S. Workers
Jose Latour writes about why the American economy absolutely needs immigrants.

Illegal Immigrants Lead To Corrupt US Gov't
A Washington Times op-ed piece written by Paul Craig Roberts discusses "the huge and overlooked cost of illegal immigration — the corruption of government agencies with power to issue important documents."

Appeals Board Rules That Service Of Notice On 7-year Child Fails To Meet Legal Standard
Cyrus Mehta writes about the Board of Immigration Appeal's ruling in Rosa Mejia-Andino.

INS Policy Costs Tens of Thousands of American Lives Each Year
Brian E. Grutman writes about how current INS policy denying that critical care registered nurses are professionals affects all Americans.

INS Announces SEVIS Final Rule
The INS today announced the final rule that implements the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) along with a fact sheet.

Seattle Police Chief Says Police Are Not INS
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer quotes the Seattle police chief "We [don't] want to be perceived as a branch of the [INS]. Our mission is to protect people and not frighten people."

Special Registration Requirements Clash with EEOC Compliance Manual on National Origin Discrimination
Carl R. Baldwin compares the Compliance Manual of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the INS Special Registration Requirements, making him wonder "whether our national security concerns have crossed the line to become national origin discrimination."

Nazi State Being Built In America
An opinion column in the Washington Times says "When a former Iran-Contra defendant gets appointed to run a little-known Defense Department operation called "Total Information Awareness," then posts a sign on his office stating that "Knowledge Is Power," civil libertarians, not surprisingly, are exercised. Adm. John Poindexter may be suited for the job, but is the job suited for a free society that has, until recently, fastidiously safeguarded the privacy of its citizens?"

How do I file a Freedom of Information Act request?
Read comprehensive answer from INS on how and where to file a request for documents to be released under Freedom of Information Act.

Letters to Editors

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None this week

Immigrant Life

Part time husbands

When I first got married and moved to the USA I never thought four words could make a difference. I came to abhor the ring of telephone and those dreaded words, "I am going to be a little late, there is a case in the emergency room." Continued.

Send your story to weeklyeditor@ilw.com.

This week's chat schedule

When	Attorney
Monday, December 16 9:00 pm Eastern Time	Mira Mdivani, Esq.
Wednesday, December 18 9:00 pm Eastern Time	Kevin Dixler, Esq.
Friday, December 20 9:00 pm Eastern Time	To be announced

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