Editor's Comments

INS Commissioner James Ziglar has released a statement encouraging undocumented aliens who may have lost friends or family in the New York City terrorist attack to contact local authorities without fear of INS attempting to acquire or use that information for immigration purposes. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher has also issued a statement saying that the nonimmigrant visa sections at US missions will process applications expeditiously from family members of victims of the attack, and reminding people which countries are eligible for the visa waiver program and do not require a visa. These government agencies are regularly criticized, often with good cause, for making the lives of immigrants and nonimmigrants difficult and complicated. In this instance the agencies are to be commended for joining, in their own ways, the outpouring of humanitarian efforts in the aftermath of the events of September 11.

ILW.COM Focus

Helping your Practice Deal with the 9/11 Tragedy

The 9/11 tragedy has been a dual tragedy for the immigration field. Not only have all been hurt as Americans, but we now face an assault on due-process which may affect all forms of immigration - family and business. ILW.COM is presenting a three-part seminar series to help attorneys cope, think about, and strategize in order to preserve and further their practices now, and in the coming months. Here are some points about the series:

• The date for the first seminar has been moved to Friday, September 28th from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The second seminar will be in November, and the final seminar in December. The deadline to sign up is midnight Wednesday, September 26.
• The seminar is conducted by phone, you can listen in from the convenience of your office. The seminar will be supplemented by an email list-serv, which will permit attendees to ask questions to the speakers.
• This seminar is not priced at ILW.COM's usual price of $499 per series. It is priced at-cost at $99 for the whole series. The speakers are kindly volunteering their time. Seminar attendees can share the cost by listening to the series from one speaker phone.
• Judy Golub of AILA and Carol Wolchok of the ABA will present information and analysis of Congressional action and legislation. Angelo Paparelli will present practice pointers on employment-based immigration issues which are affected by the tragedy and its aftermath. Denyse Sabagh will present practice pointers on how to help clients of ethnic Arab origin or of the Muslim faith. Stephen Yale-Loehr will moderate the series. We will likely add further speakers, depending on how matters develop.
• You can sign up online or by fax.

For more info, or to sign up online, click here.
For more info, or to sign up by fax, click here.

Tip of the Day

Print This Page

In response to requests from readers, ILW.COM has added a "Print this Page" feature to Immigration Daily pages. Some readers pointed out that if they used the "print" button on the browser, some words at the right hand side of the page would be lost. Clicking on the new Print this page will automatically remove all advertising banners and menu strips, and give you a plain text version of the page formatted to fit a standard sheet of paper. Print this page allows you to print the Daily, cases, Congressional Record, Federal Register, INS, DOS, DOL items and featured articles to read when you are away from your computer and to save for future reference. You can find this new feature on the top and the bottom of every Immigration Daily page. We hope this feature will make the Daily more useful to you.

ILW.COM Featured Articles of the Day

Analysis of Revised MATA
Nadine Wettstein, Director, Legal Action Center, American Immigration Law Foundation, provides an analysis of the Wednesday, September 19, 2001, version of proposal to amend INA, compared to Tuesday, September 18 version and current law.

Update on Mergers and Acquisitions: Congress Toys with the H-1B (Part II)
Angelo A. Paparelli and Susan K. Wehrer write §401 of AC21 takes away much, but not all, of the paperwork drudgery associated with immigration-related compliance obligations in corporate restructurings that involve H-1B workers.

Immigration News

INS Can Reinstate Deportation Order
In Gallo-Alvarez v. Ashcroft, No. 99-71038 (9th Cir. Sept. 21, 2001), the court held that the INS could summarily reinstate an order of deportation pertaining to an alien who was granted voluntary departure in lieu of deportation, but the record in the case was insufficient to determine if

INS Reaches out to Undocumented Aliens in New York
INS Commissioner Ziglar assures that the INS will not seek immigration status information provided to local authorities in the rescue and recovery efforts, and personally urges the immigration community to come forward.

EOIR Interim Measures for NYC
The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and the Office of the Chief Immigration Judge (OCIJ) have adopted interim measures to accommodate persons whose business with the BIA or with the Immigration Courts in New York City was affected by the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

INS on Settlement in Walters v. Reno
The INS has issued a news release on the settlement agreement in Walters v. Reno and a series of questions and answers on the settlement.

DOS on Visas for Families of Victims
According to spokesman Richard Boucher the nonimmigrant visa sections at US missions will process applications expeditiously visa applications from family members of the victims of the September 22 attack.

Immigration in the Press

Citizenship Takes on New Meaning
According to the Seattle Times the annual citizenship ceremony yesterday took on a heightened sense as the newly minted citizens waved miniature American flags and recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

ILW.COM Chats and Discussions of the Day

Chat with Julian Lowenfeld
Julian Lowenfeld will answers questions on all aspects of immigration law on Monday, September 24, 2001, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern (New York) time. Questions will be accepted beginning 15 minutes before the start of the chat.

This Day in Immigration

September 22, 2000

"Asylum for Fijian who Refused to Participate in Persecution of Indo-Fijians In Tagaga v. INS, No. 98-71251 (9th Cir. Sept. 21, 2000), the court determined that the Board of Immigration Appeals clearly erred. The court found that the Petitioner was eligible for asylum and entitled to withholding of deportation as any reasonable factfinder would be compelled to conclude that his previous sentence to house arrest had been and a future court-martial would be motivated at least in part by his refusal to participate in the persecution of Indo-Fijians."

Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor:

I commend you on organizing a seminar on the immigration issues in the aftermath of the WTC disaster. Although you have lined up a very impressive panel, I am surprised that you have not included one from New York city, the epicenter of the tragedy. There are many in the immigration and other bars of New York who have begun advocating tirelessly against prejudice against immigrant groups, monitoring the impact of the disaster on local INS offices and courts as well as cautioning against the potential abrogation of immigrants' rights and civil liberties. The inclusion of a New York speaker is not just symbolic but essential for such a panel.

Sincerely,
Cyrus Mehta

Editor's Note: the seminar series will be evolving and additional speakers may be invited as the events of the next few months warrant.

Classifieds

ILW.COM carries classified ads for immigration related positions. $100 for single insertion, $250 for five consecutive insertions, payable in advance. Contact us for details. We will also carry for no charge announcements such as immigration related events. We reserve the right to refuse any ad and to make minor editorial and formatting changes. Send to editor@ilw.com.

HELP WANTED: CORPORATE IMMIGRATION PARALEGALS
Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, is the largest law firm in the country practicing exclusively in the area of immigration and nationality law. In order to meet the demands of our growing business, the firm is actively recruiting for experienced paralegals in its ATLANTA, NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY,and CHICAGO offices. The ideal candidate has business immigration experience or a human resources background dealing with immigration issues. Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills and be able to perform multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment. The firm offers superior salaries and exceptional growth opportunities. Please submit cover letter and resume to Anne-Rose van den Bossche, Esq., Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen, & Loewy, 515 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10022 or fax 212-750-1121 or avandenbossche@fragomen.com

IMMIGRATION TELECONFERENCE
Angelo Paparelli and Steve Yale-Loehr will conduct a teleconference and e-mail listserv series titled On the Cutting Edge: H-1B Practice and Strategy with Angelo Paparelli and Steve Yale-Loehr. The final teleconferences will take place Wednesday October 3, 2001, at 1:00-2:30 p.m. Eastern (New York) time. It is open to attorneys, employers, HR professionals and anyone else interested in the H-1B process and strategy. For more information or to register click here.

IMMIGRATION LAW SEMINAR
Saturday, October 13, 2001, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Ramada Inn, Fairfield, NJ. A panel of experienced immigration lawyers and paralegals will explain how the administrative system operates and present the information you need to handle basic immigration matters. You’ll also hear directly from several agency representatives about the procedures you need to follow when dealing with these agencies. For details click here.

CLE CONFERENCE
American Immigration Lawyers Association, Central Florida Chapter (AILA-CFC) will be holding its 15th Annual Advanced-Level Immigration Law Seminar on October 26-27 at the Renaissance Orlando Resort, Orlando, Florida.  Discounted hotel rates are available from the resort.  Point of contact for information/registration is Steve Zawacki, immigration@abanet.org or 407/831-6644.