Comment

2006 Poverty Guidelines

The Department of Health and Human Services released the updated 2006 poverty guidelines. This information is used to establish that the sponsor meets the income requirement (125% of the poverty income) and assures that the sponsored alien will not become a US public charge. The 2006 Poverty Guidelines become effective March 1, 2006 [corrected, 3/03/06 Ed.] You must complete and submit an affidavit of support, USCIS Form I-864, if you:

• are bringing a relative to the US or;
• if you are a US citizen or lawful permanent resident and filed an employment-based immigration petition (Form I-140) for a relative or if you have a significant ownership interest (5 percent or more) in a business that filed an employment-based immigrant petition for your relative.

We welcome readers to share their opinion by writing to weeklyeditor@ilw.com.

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Articles

USCIS Today, February 2006
USCIS Office of Communications presents information about USCIS that you can use.

Chat

When	Attorney
Logon for chat Tue, Feb 21, 5PM ET	Karen Weinstock, Esq
Tue, Feb 28, 5PM ET	Murali Bashyam, Esq
Tue, Mar 7, 5PM ET	Alice Yardum-Hunter, Esq
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Letters

Send your letters to weeklyeditor@ilw.com.

Dear Editor:
Your summary of the report says that since about 3/4 of day laborers are illegal aliens, the proportion of day laborers who are American citizens is much higher than previously thought (02/13/06 IW comment). This is inaccurate. The other 25 percent or so may well consist of legal permanent residents OR citizens OR both. It bears out the common belief that immigrants and citizens compete directly with illegal aliens for low-wage jobs. In response to Nicdag's letter (02/13/06 IW), they have a way to become legal, the same one they have had since arriving here: find another employer to sponsor them for green cards. If they are unable to do this, it makes one wonder just how "valuable" their work is. Her letter also states: she and her husband are on temporary visas. Such visas are no guarantee that the holder can remain in the US, something they knew or should have known from the beginning. That they now are eager to change the rules in the middle of the game, or possibly remain here illegally, is a good reason to stop issuing "temporary" visas altogether. Unfortunately, their holders don't seem to view them as such.

Ali Alexander

Dear Editor:
Immigrant's Weekly (2/13/06 IW) cited some findings of a "nationwide study on day laborers". Immigrant's Weekly (IW) failed to mentioned that virtually all of them work "under the table" and therefore pay no income taxes. IW also failed to mention that their medical treatment is at taxpayer expense because working under the table doesn't provide any benefits. IW failed to mention the disruptions caused in many communities caused by day laborer pick-up sites and the behavior of many of the day laborers. And, of course, IW forgot to mention their numerous violations of local, state and federal laws and the violations of the people who hire them for the illegal employment.

John H. Frecker

Dear Editor:
I have a lot of compassion for the day laborers in the US as well as other undocumented persons who are trying to make an honest living (see 02/13/06 IW). I'm not in favor of the Minuteman Project at all. Hopefully there will be a program that can benefit these people in the future. I'm so tired of hearing about the abuses of not being paid, it's so unfair and cruel. In New Orleans the people that were cleaning up the excrement from the Superdome and maybe other places didn't all get paid. And I heard immigration was called in to get them so they could avoid paying the workers. Unfair. This has been going on in the U.S. for decades and something has to be done if we are going to continue "using" these people.

Dora Ponce