A Note from the Editors:

DREAM Act May Be Dead

The National People's Action (a pro-immigrant rights coalition group) protested outside White House senior advisor Karl Rove's residence last Sunday. The protestors wanted to obtain Mr. Rove's support for the DREAM Act, which would permit undocumented immigrant students to attend state universities at an in-state tuition rate. The protestors entered Mr. Rove's lawn and pounded on his windows frightening Mr. Rove's son and a neighbor's child who was in the house at the time, enraging Mr. Rove who demanded that the protestors leave. According to a Wall Street Journal op-ed, the neighbor's child was in fact the son of an immigration attorney. Far from achieving their aims, the protestors' efforts will likely backfire. Without Mr. Rove's support and by extension the President's support, the DREAM Act is likely dead for 2004.

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

Articles

Presidential Papers Series: Undocumented Aliens Message To The Congress
President Carter sent this message to Congress on August 4, 1977.

Policy Report From Congressional Research Service On Visa Policy
The Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress issued a report on visa policy.

Employment Options And Open Issues In The Wake Of The H-1B Cap
Austin T. Fragomen, Jr. writes "In the wake of the cut-off, employers and their counsel should be aware of a number of open issues relating to H-1B cases, and should become familiar with alternative visa options for foreign national employees whose H-1B cases are foreclosed by the cap."

ICE Expands Pilot Program To Detain Deportable Aliens
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that its pilot program aimed at reducing the number of illegal aliens on American streets will soon be expanded into Atlanta and Denver.

President Bush Continues To Push His Temporary Worker Plan
During remarks in New Mexico to first-time homebuyers, President Bush said, "In order to make sure the economy runs well, in order to make sure we treat people humanely, we need a temporary worker plan. It makes sense to do that. I look forward to working with Congress to get something reasonable out."

A Meditation On The Morality Of "Illegal"
Paul Donnelly writes "Calls for amnesty or "legalization" (a distinction without a difference) ask that millions who broke the law should be forgiven their trespass; opponents of amnesty invariably insist no, that the laws should be enforced. But is that right?"

USCIS Issues Fee Waiver Guidance Fact Sheet
USCIS issued a fee waiver guidance fact sheet providing direction on what constitutes "ability to pay."

USCIS E-Filing Tips
USCIS issued an announcment providing tips on how to avoid common errors when E-Filing.

I-485 Filing Pilot Program
Gregory Siskind reports "The first hint that the USCIS is really serious about delivering on this promise was delivered this week with the announcement of a new program to complete processing of adjustment applications at the Dallas USCIS District Office within 90 days."

The Appropriate Use Of Less And Fewer
Diane Sandford writes "It's difficult to master the subtleties of English and, in particular, the fine distinction between fewer and less."

Immigrant's Weekly Exclusive
Visa Consular Processing: Dire Consequences With Catastrophic Results And How Can One Overcome This?
Mitch Berenson and Charlene Avis write "If, during the [consular] interview, you have not disclosed any arrests, convictions or detentions for any offenses anywhere in the world, to your attorney, and a "hit" appears on the computer system, hazardous results will occur with dire consequences."

Immigration Through Employment
Read a response from the USCIS on how to apply for immigrant status based on employment.

ILW Highlights

Find a Lawyer

On ILW.COM's Find a Lawyer page we provide a place where people needing the services of an immigration lawyer can find a lawyer to meet their needs and preferences. We currently have over 350 attorneys listed in the directory. The Find a Lawyer page allows searches based on location, areas of expertise and languages spoken. If you are looking for a specific lawyer or law firm, you can do so also.

Letters to Editors

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

None this week.

Immigrant Life

What is a Social Security Card?

A Social Security number and card is used by the government to keep track of earnings and witholdings. The Social Security witholdings are disbursed to people who have retired or are disabled.

Why is a Social Security Card important?

It is needed before you can obtain other things. For example, you cannot open most checking accounts or get a credit card without a social security card. Many organizations and schools use this number to identify people.

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 Feb 3rd, all chats will be held at 5:00 pm Eastern Time.

When	Attorney
Tuesday, April 6 5:00 pm Eastern Time	Karen Meade, Esq.
Thursday, April 8 5:00 pm Eastern Time	Christopher T Musillo, Esq.
Tuesday, April 13 5:00 pm Eastern Time	Alice M. Yardum-Hunter, Esq.

Classifieds

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