A Note from the Editors:

Anti-Immigrationists Hurt The War On Terror

According to a Reuters report today, Al Qaeda plans to strike again sometime before our Presidential elections are held this fall. John Brennan, director of the Terrorist Threat Integration Center, said "We are very vigilant and concerned about the potential for al Qaeda to try to carry out an attack on the homeland here before the end of the year, possibly to coincide with the 2004 presidential election". Subsequent to any such attack, anti-immigrationists are sure to perpetuate the false notion that the undocumented and terrorists are one and the same. We believe that none of the terrorists will be among the hardworking immigrants who come to the US to seek a brighter future for their families. To repeat the obvious, dishwashers and gardeners are not terrorists. Immigration law cannot be our main weapon in the fight against the terrorists, it is but a minor weapon in this fight. By skewing focus from the essentials to the minor, and by thus moving the dialog and the resources towards less fruitful channels, the anti-immigrationists hurt our country's ability in the war on the terrorists.

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

Articles

Asylum Resource Series: Burma
USCIS Asylum Resource Information Center offers asylum information on Burma.

OIL Immigration Litigation Bulletin: October 2003
The Office of Litigation of the Department of Justice released the October 2003 issue of its publication, Immigration Litigation Bulletin.

In Oregon, For Immigrant Defendants, The Time For Post-Conviction Relief Is Now
Brian Conry, Esq. writes "The time to proceed with a PCR (Post Conviction Relief Petition) is now in Oregon because the Vega-Gonzalez v. State case has opened the door to substantive and procedural justice."

OIL Immigration Litigation Bulletin: November 2003
The Office of Litigation of the Department of Justice released the November 2003 issue of its publication, Immigration Litigation Bulletin.

Be Our Guest: Trade Agreements and Visas
Jessica Vaughan of the Center for Immigration Studies writes "[] Trade agreements, particularly the Doha agreements, require an unreasonable degree of commitment in immigration law beyond what is necessary to achieve more open markets."

USCIS Updated Application Fee Schedule
The USCIS released the most updated application fee schedule, effective April 30, 2004.

Clash Of The Titan Bureaucracies? The Battle Between DHS And US Consulates
Marc Ellis, Esq. writes "For the first time, a single agency plays a major role in overseeing the immigration process at both the consular level and at the CIS Service Centers inside the US."

ILW.COM Articles Before Immigration Daily
Here are links to all articles published on ILW.COM prior to 2000. Immigration Daily commenced publication on May 2, 2000.

Immigrant's Weekly Exclusive
New Adjustment Of Status Pilot Program In Dallas
Lal Varghese, Esq. writes "USCIS [] is conducting a pilot program for the first time in US at its Dallas District office to test USCIS's ability to process adjustment of status applications within 90 days of filing."

Yates Memo On USCIS I-94 Errors
William R. Yates, USCIS Associate Director for Operations issued a memo to regional directors, service center directors, and district directors providing guidance in cases where USCIS or asylum offices issue an I-94 with erroneous information.

How Do I File an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Complaint?
Read a response from the USCIS explaining the administrative processing of discrimination complaints.

ILW.COM Highlights

Processing Times Updated

Vermont, Missouri, Texas, California, and Nebraska processing times were recently updated.

Letters to Editors

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

Dear Editor:
In response to your recent Editor's Comments, the processing fee should be $0 for the regular processing that takes place months and years and should be the 'speeded up' (special) processing that they could charge bigger fee. It this case everybody would be happy.

Oleg Pate
Austin, TX

Dear Editor:
I have to respectfully disagree with your position on immigration processing fees. While it is true that immigration in general benefits U.S. society more than it detracts, the ones who benefit most are the immigrants themselves. If that weren't true, they wouldn't be trying so desperately to get into and stay in the United States. If we apply your reasoning to, say, driver's licences, the logic falls apart. Obviously it is in society's interest to require people to pass knowledge and abilities tests before giving them permission to drive on public roads, but we don't hear anyone arguing that the license testing and issuance procedure should be free of charge. The person who wants that driver's license is the party who will most benefit from his/her obtaining that license, and thus it stands to reason that he/she should be willing to pay the twenty bucks or so that their state government charges to cover its costs. It also stands to reason that a foreign national who wants permission to live in the United States should be willing to pay reasonable processing fees that cover at least part of the government's costs. (Granted, that foreigner has the right to expect reasonable turnaround times for processing his/her application, but we'll have to fry that fish some other day.) In the meantime, I see nothing wrong with hopeful immigrants being exposed early on to the American 'pay-your-own-way' mentality, since they are the ones who stand to benefit the most from the procedures paid for in part by the processing fees they are charged.

Marc W. Mellin
Naranjo, Costa Rica

Dear Editor:
I get Immigrant's Weekly every week and I want to thank you for giving us this opportunity to express our opinions as immigrants to this country. I have been in US with an H1B visa for more than 5 years and I applied to become a permanent resident at the same time I applied for my visa. I've dealt with the INS before and after September 11, and believe me, it has been an experience I will share with generations to come so they don't make the same mistakes I made... like trusting my immigration attorney and leaving everything to her. Protect my interests? Yeah, right. I've had to do a lot of research to find out that she is been making a lot of mistakes. Now, don't get me wrong, she came with excellent referrals. I've waited more time than necessary to receive my permanent residence because Mary (my lawyer) did not tell me there were different procedures to apply for it: a short one and a long one. Long or short, I am almost done and it is just a matter of time before I finally get my greencard. But I wish I knew then what I know now. The Immigration agencies seem to me like some sort of Lotto offices that choose between millions of applicants a few lucky ones who will get their greencards if they make enough money to pay for them. The more money you have, the bigger the chance you have to get a hot shot lawyer who knows how to get a greencard by pulling the right strings. What about the rest of the people who work hard and eventually are the ones who make this country great? Things must change. Immigrants have the right to know what is going on, because they pay taxes too, they contribute to the economy of this country in amounts most people will never know (or accept). They should be given the choices and the necessary information to defend themselves against the predators and scavengers disguised as immigration attorneys and politicians.

Eduardo Martinez

Dear Editor:
Please I need to know the the waiting times to be approved the petition I-130 for alien relative in UCIS CA and especially the petition I-129F for alien spouse. The latter was sent in USCIS Chicago on 07 April, 2004.

Chengly Rachid

Editor's Note: See our processing times page for the most updated processing times.

Immigrant Life

What Is Automobile Insurance?

Automobile insurance is a service provided by private companies, where the insurance provider agrees to compensate those who hold a policy for damage, loss or injury to yourself or others in exchange for a premium, or payment, that is paid on a regular basis — this arrangement is called an indemnity. The amount and type of coverage you get with an insurance policy depend on the type of coverage you get and many other factors. For a guide on what types of automobile insurance are available and how to minimize your premiums.

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, May 4 5:00 pm Eastern Time	Barry Lieber, Esq.
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