A Note from the Editors:

CSS, LULAC: The Journey At Its End

The USCIS released the proposed settlements for LULAC and CSS. The proposed settlement will allow members of the two groups, CSS and LULAC, a period of one year to apply for legalization under the 1986 IRCA. This brings to a conclusion what began more than 10 years ago when a battery of class action suits were filed because the then INS denied qualified applicants under the 1986-1987 amnesty program. For the notices of proposed settlement, see below.

We welcome readers to share their opinion and ideas with us and other readers by writing to weeklyeditor@ilw.com.

Articles

Statement by the President Upon Issuing Order Establishing a Commission on Immigration and Naturalization: Presidential Paper Historical Series by President Harry S Truman: 1945-1953
President Truman issued this statement on September 4, 1952.

Criminal Law, Eternal Banishment, And Mandatory Detention
Brian Conry, Esq. explains the effect of criminal convictions on aliens after April 1, 1997.

DHS Suspends NSEERS Program
The Department of Homeland Security suspended the National Security Entry/Exit Registration System (NSEERS) re-registration requirement that mandated aliens to re-register after 30-days and one year of continuous presence in the US. For the press release, see here. For the fact sheet, see here.

USCIS Offers Credit Card Payments, Adds Processing Date To Existing Case Status Service
The USCIS announced two new on-line customer service features: credit card payment options for electronically filed applications and the addition of processing date information to the existing case status service.

Legalization For Farmworkers Seems Close To Reality
Carl R. Baldwin writes "If this bill is enacted into law, some of our hardest working, most exploited, and most economically vital workers will finally be able to step out of the shadows and into the sunlight."

USCIS Announces LULAC And CSS Proposed Settlements
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services released notices of proposed settlements in the CSS and LULAC legalization cases.

DHS Suspends Special Registration
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the Department of Homeland Security published its announcement in the Federal Register suspending the 30-day and annual interview requirements of the NSEERS program.

Never Fear: The Old H-1(b) Wage Rules Are Still In Effect
Linda M. Keck, Esq. debunks the myth that employers of H-1(b) workers no longer have to worry about prevailing wage rules.

USCIS Provides "Where Is It Now?" Chart
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services released a chart providing links to Web information about the new locations, responsibilities and contacts (HQs/field) of the former INS immigration services and immigration enforcement units.

1st AONE Conference: Reflections Of A Grateful Team
Zlata A. Dikaya & Conor Shanahan present several important issues that were highlighted and discussed during the American Organization of Nurse Executives' (AONE) first conference entitled "Foreign Nurse Recruitment: Getting It Right".

DHS Releases Special Registration Information
The DHS released FAQs on the changes to the NSEERS process and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement released an information packet describing NSEERS procedures for visitors and temporary residents.

How Do I Become a Lawful Permanent Resident While in the US?
Read a detailed response from the USCIS on how to become a lawful permanent resident while in the US.

ILW Highlights

Processing Times Updated

Nebraska processing times were recently updated.

Letters to Editors

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

Dear Editor:
I think its wise to give legal permanent residence (Green Card) to the people who are in the US with an F1 visa then to DV lottery Winners. Some DV lottery winners even cannot speak English properly, what will they do for the US? and their main intention would be earning and sending money back to their home. Which will definitely effect the US economy where as a F1 visa holder at least has more potential than those people and can contribute something to the US. F1 visa holders are far better than DV lottery winners.

Raju Singh Karki

Dear Editor:
Be sure to file your DV lottery visa application by the 15th of december 2003. You do not require a lawyer, just get the information from the immigration department nearest to you. Good luck to all.

tee tee

Dear Editor:
I traveled to Los Angeles last summer. I felt like a stranger in my own country as few spoke English. Whole areas have been turned into city-states of foreigners where Americans are not welcome. What is happening to America? Where once immigration furnished men and women for building a nation, today, illegal and unrestricted mass immigration make a few wealthy at the expense of American citizens. Our own corporations are 'outsourcing' and ‘offshoring’ jobs to Third World countries, thus leaving American citizens in unemployment lines. Honored names like Hormel, that were built by Americans, bus illegal immigrants from Texas into food processing plants in Austin, Minnesota. Along with their cheap labor come drugs, TB, Leprosy and honor killings. Austin's schools struggle with foreign languages and Austin kids suffer. Our own Congress renewed the H1B visa which gave 890,000 American jobs in the past 10 years to foreigners. Little wonder our enconomy augured into the ground like a plane that lost its wings. Last fall, the INS freed illegal alien John Malvo who promptly killed 17 Americans. Via illegal immigration of 9 to 13 million, we have 16,000 new cases of tuberculosis and 7,000 new cases of leprosy in the past three years. We suffer a $6.1 trillion national debt and 6.4% national unemployment, but we spend $68 billion resettling 2.3 million immigrants each year when 18 million of our own citizens can't find a job. Immigrants send $51.5 billion of our dollars, $10.5 billion to Mexico, $25 billion to Latin America, $16 billion to Asia, back to their home countries, thus draining us of hard currency. This transfer of wealth is making this country poorer by the day. Do we need rituals where a baby girl has her sexual being cut out of her in the form of a 'clitorectomy'? Can we afford to have everyone wear a mask for ID pictures? Can we afford losing our English language and become the Tower of Babel? Do we condone by being politially correct 'cockfighting' brought to us by Latin cultures which then spread New Castle Disease to our own chicken flocks? What about the new strain of tuberculosis spreading across America because illegal immigrants work in fast food and hotels. It's called MDR TB (multiple drug resistant) and has no cure. California citizens are dying in emergency rooms because hospitals are over run with immigrants who can't pay. Because of no family planning in their countries of origin, this endless line of immigrants is pushing us toward 200 million added people vying for diminishing resources past the mid century. For starters, how about a glass of water in the drought prone West? This is not about race, creed or color. It’s about too many people and an unsustainable society in the long term. Minimum population projections add four to five million people to every state in the union. Can your state add that many people without horrific consequences? It’s important that you enter this accelerating debate on our nation’s future. What is at stake? Our children, the viability of our nation and our way of life. It’s about law and order along with citizenship. In short, it’s about America. It’s about you.

Frosty Wooldridge
Louisville, CO

Immigrant Life

What are checking and savings accounts?

Checking and savings accounts are the two most popular types of deposit accounts banks offer. Checking accounts allow you to write checks or use debit cards against the balance of your account. Merchants generally treat transactions paid for by debit card or check as if they were cash transactions. This means you will not owe interest on anything paid for by check or debit card. You will, however, be assessed a fee if your account is overdrawn - unless you have overdraft protection. Savings accounts allow you to keep an amount of money in the bank and earn a small interest rate. They are generally completely liquid, meaning you can withdraw money at any time without a fee. A savings account is not a place to invest, as interest rates on these accounts are extremely low compared to investments in stocks or bonds.

To learn more, see here.

Have a story that you'd like to share with us? Send your story as an immigrant to weeklyeditor@ilw.com.

This week's chat schedule

ILW.COM announces that as of Nov 1st, all chats will be held at 6:00 pm Eastern Time.

When	Attorney
Monday Dec 8 6:00 pm Eastern Time	Alice Yardum-Hunter, Esq.
Wednesday, Dec 10 6:00 pm Eastern Time	Mira Mdivani, Esq.
Friday, Dec 12 6:00 pm Eastern Time	Arthur Zabenko, Esq.

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