A Note from the Editors:

Moving the INS into the proposed Department of Homeland Security may have an unintended result in hampering legal immigration. An immigration attorney quoted in Legal Times on this issue says "If catching illegal immigrants and patrolling the borders becomes the agency's focus to the detriment of processing work visas and citizenship applications, companies with foreign employees could suffer." One way around this would be to move the services part of the INS into the Department of Commerce, while moving the enforcement part into the Department of Homeland Security. In order to maintain national security in this scenario, the Department of Homeland Security would still conduct background checks for immigrants whether they were processed through the Department of State or by the Department of Commerce. An important practical effect of such a move of INS immigrant services into the Department of Commerce would be the explicit political recognition that immigration benefits the US economy.

Articles

AILA Statement On DOJ Registration Proposal
The American Immigration Lawyers Association says that the Department of Justice's recent proposal to fingerprint, photograph and require reporting of certain aliens "is a false solution to a real problem."

Florida Anti-Terrorism Unit Will Enforce Immigration Law But Governor Says He Doesn't Want Local Cops Becoming Immigration Cops
The Washington Post quotes Florida Governor Jeb Bush on police officers in a state anti-terrorism unit that will have the power to enforce immigration law under a pilot program created with the federal government "I would have a lot of trepidation if ... every police officer was going to be a sworn INS officer and our duties end up with local law enforcement becoming the immigration cops of the country."

A Time For Hope: Immigration And National Security
Gary Endelman writes that national security fears have taken over the immigration debate, that the pro immigration argument is no less compelling today than it was before 9/11, that harsher enforcement will produce not fewer immigrants but greater clarity about immigration's benefits, and that President Bush has gotten it exactly right in his principle that immigration policy ought to help a willing employer and a willing worker come together.

NY Native Deported In Latest INS Goof
In another embarrassing immigration mix-up, a 70-year-old American has been deported to the Dominican Republic - even though she was born in Westchester.

INS Move Into Department Of Homeland Security Would Adversely Affect Business Immigration
Law.com reports on the planned move of INS to the proposed Department of Homeland Security and quotes attorney Michael Maggio "If catching illegal immigrants and patrolling the borders becomes the agency's focus to the detriment of processing work visas and citizenship applications, companies with foreign employees could suffer." The article also quotes Jeanne Butterfield of AILA who called the plan a "paradigm shift" and said that "immigration is now primarily a matter of internal security rather than a phenomenon that strengthens our country."

Mexican Workers Seek Congress' Help Millions of Mexicans guest workers, who worked in California between 1942 and 1969 have brought a law suit against the government for compensation amounting to $500 million. They allege that part of their pay was deducted without their consent and put into Savings Accounts in Mexico for them. However, when they tried to claim it, they were chased away.

ILW.COM Highlights

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Letters to Editors

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

Dear Editor:

I disagree with John Ashcroft's view. He is trying to turn U.S. into a police state. I don't know why the Senate allowed him to become Attorney General.

E Arif

Dear Editor: Am I imagining this, or did it not used to be the rule that ALL aliens in the US had to register once a year? I seem to remember television ads from the Sixties warning all aliens that they had to ask for some sort of "alien registration form" at their local post office. So what's so new about Ashcroft's proposal??

Robert Speirs
Tallahassee, Florida

Immigrant Life

We would like to Tell your Story to the World

Tell us about your experience as an Immigrant, and we would be happy to carry it in the Immigrant Life section of our website. Send your story to weeklyeditor@ilw.com

Syeda Sara Abbas writes in her story titled 'Partime 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." I am married to a part time husband - a medical resident (a tough clinical training after medical school) who works 120 hours a week and sleeps the rest of the week. I am one of Pakistan's expanding export item - a bride. America has millions of Indians and Pakistani expatriates, but women like me will hardly meet them as my husband has little time to come home, let alone socialize........." (Cont'd)

This week's chat schedule

When Attorney Monday, June 17 9:00 pm Eastern Time Kyle Kinzy, Esq. Wednesday, June 19 9:00 pm Eastern Time Valentine Brown, Esq. Friday, June 21 9:00 pm Eastern Time Jon Hultman, Esq.

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