200K DACA applications filed so far
English: Official portrait of United States Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano Español: Retrato oficial de Secretaria de Seguridad Interna de los Estados Unidos Janet Napolitano (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Per The Hill: DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano indicates that more than 3,000 have applied for DACA every day, about 200,000 applications overall.
DHS Announces Taiwan’s Designation into the Visa Waiver Program
NFAP Report: DOL Threatens Personal and Commercial Privacy in Proposal Directed Against Skilled Foreign Nationals
The recently released National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) report underscores the severe consequences that will result if the U.S. Department of Labor’s proposed changes to form ETA 9035 (LCA) are implemented.
St. Louis landscaping business and owner sentenced for employing illegal aliens and visa fraud
VIA ICE.GOV
ST. LOUIS – A local man and his company were sentenced Thursday in federal court to forfeitures and probation following their visa fraud guilty pleas. The sentences resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General.
Robert Brake, 33, of Byrnes Mill, Mo., along with his company, Brake Landscaping & Lawncare Inc., pleaded guilty in June to misdemeanor charges of employing illegal aliens. Brake Landscaping & Lawncare Inc. is located in the 3500 block of Gratiot Street in St. Louis. The company pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Brake and his company were sentenced to two years of probation. The company paid $145,000 in forfeitures.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Statement on the 18th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act
VIA the US DOJ
Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement today on the 18th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act:
“Since the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) became law 18 years ago today, VAWA has vastly improved our ability to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and has helped countless victims of these crimes get access to needed services. It’s important to remember that none of this progress has been inevitable – it has been the result of the tireless work of advocates, law enforcement, prosecutors, and others. On the front lines of this effort, the Office on Violence Against Women administers VAWA programs, providing states, territories, local and tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations with critical resources to initiate and sustain efforts to reduce and stop violence against women. As Congress moves to consider reauthorizing this critical law, we urge lawmakers to come together on a bipartisan basis, as it has historically, to pass a VAWA reauthorization that expands rather than limits victim access to justice and strengthens law enforcement and prosecutorial tools to seek justice and hold violators accountable. VAWA has been strengthened each time it has been reauthorized, with bipartisan support, and this year after 18 years of progress, it should be no different.”
Department of Health and Human Services provides a notice of amendment on definition of “lawfully present”
The Department of Health and Human Services provides a notice of amendment to interim final rule on the definition of “lawfully present” for rules governing health insurance exchanges & tax credits to ensure that people applying for deferred action are not eligible.
Texas Governor Rick Perry calls Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals a “slap in the face to the rule of law”, asks Texas Agencies to ignore the program
Governor Rick Perry – Photo by Ed Schipul
Texas Governor Rick Perry indicated his belief that President Obama’s Deferred Action for Certain Childhood Arrivals amounted to a “slap in the face to the rule of law”. Gov. Perry has asked Texas Agencies to ignore the program:
11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals opens door for State Law Enforcement to check immigration status of suspects in Alabama, Georgia
The Associated Press reports that while certain provisions within Alabama and Georgia’s state enforcement laws have been rejected by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, law enforcement officers in Georgia may in fact check the immigration status of criminal suspects who do not hold acceptable identification documents. Similarly, law enforcement officers in Alabama may check the immigration status of suspects, but the Court ruled that public schools may not verify the immigration status of students.
“The court today rejected many parts of Alabama and Georgia’s anti-immigrant laws, including attempts to criminalize everyday interactions with undocumented immigrants and Alabama’s callous attempt to deprive some children of their constitutional right to education,” [American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Omar Jadwat] said in a statement. “The court explicitly left the door open to further challenges against the `show me your papers’ provision, which we will continue to fight.”
CBP Discontinues Stamping Form I-20 At Ports of Entry
NAFSA has issued an alert that Customs and Border Protection will no longer stamp I-20s at ports of entry (POEs). USCIS is reaching out to other agencies, such as the DMV, to inform them of the change, since many agencies require the I-20 stamp prior to granting benefits.
Tens of Thousands line up to obtain information on Deferred Action program
A New York Times article discussing the large crowds waiting to obtain information on President Obama’s Deferred Action program. The size of the crowds apparently surprised both volunteers and immigration officials.
“Tens of thousands of young illegal immigrants waited excitedly in lines as long as a mile and thronged to information sessions across the country on Wednesday, the first day that a federal immigration agency began accepting applications for deportation deferrals that include permits to work legally.”
The U.S. Immigration Law Blog by Ashwin Sharma 
President Obama optimistic on Comprehensive Immigration Reform
US President Barack Obama (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
An LA Times article covering the President’s optimism on passing Comprehensive Immigration Reform. The President indicated that several Republicans have also acknowledged the need for CIR (ostensibly to court the Latino vote for future elections).
“Obama outlined what he would like to see included in an immigration reform package but did not answer a question about whether he would send a draft of the legislation to Congress to consider.”