High Drama Over Highly Skilled Workers
Via Businessweek
09/13/2007
“After failing over the summer to pass legislation that would overhaul
the rules for all kinds of immigrants, Congress is gearing up to take
on the narrower task of reforming immigration laws for highly skilled
workers. The effort is less politically charged than comprehensive
reform since it sets aside the contentious issue of what to do with the
estimated 12 million illegal immigrants
(BusinessWeek.com, 8/22/07) already in the U.S., and it appears likely
that some legislation will be passed. But there is opposition, and the
nature and degree of reform for the highly skilled remains unclear.”
Governors Send Letter Urging Congress To Raise H-1B Visa Cap
Via Informationweek
Thirteen Governors recently submitted a letter in a bipartisan attempt to urge Congress to raise the H-1B visa cap. This year’s cap was woefully inadequate, as affected parties already know.
Senate extends Lautenberg amendment
VIA JTA.org
09/13/2007
The U.S. Senate extended a law that has enabled Jewish immigration from the former Soviet Union.
AP reports that The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union has filed a lawsuit seeking to stop immigration raids.
AP reports that The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union has filed a lawsuit seeking to stop immigration raids.
ICE: Tab to remove illegal residents would approach $100 billion
CNN recently reported that it would cost approximately $100 billion to remove all 12 million people in the U.S. “An ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] spokesman later said the $94 billion did not include the cost of finding illegal immigrants, nor court costs — dollar amounts that are largely unknowable.”
Another unknowable number, and one most relevant and material in my opinion, is the actual number of undocumented workers in the U.S. – some have put this number as high as 20 million, as opposed to ICE’s estimate of 12 million. Secondly, the cost of finding and processing/prosecuting these undocumented people is ‘unknowable’ according to ICE, and hasn’t been factored into the $100 billion amount [which only includes ICE personnel costs, room and board in a detention cell for 32 days as well as transportation back to the person’s home country]. These two additional costs would easily dwarf the prison and transportation costs.
Collateral costs would be immense as well. Employers would lose
billions; so would the retail industry, housing market, auto dealers and banks, to name a few.
Bottom line: the actual cost may be more than double ICE’s figure, plus the aforementioned collateral costs. Even assuming the money is made available, and assuming that the 12-20 million people can somehow be found, logistical bottlenecks in ICE manpower, court access and detention cells, as well as the grim reality of the true economic impact of such a move will preclude any serious attempt to mount a large scale removal program.
ICE’s cost analysis is not helpful, accurate or realistic. They may just as well have announced the cost of a popsicle stick ladder to the moon without factoring in the cost of glue, and while pointedly ignoring the laws of gravity and physics. We need to face reality and look to comprehensive immigration reform.
Australia’s much closer to the U.S. than Canada is
Barbara Yaffe of the Vancouver Sun illustrates the differences between the US-Australia and US-Canada relationships. Australia’s geographic isolation from the West leads to a stronger desire in the country for good relations with the West, particularly the US. This relationship in turn leads to improved US immigration options (E-3 visas for example) for Aussies.
Kevin, 10, helps reform U.S. immigration
Via The Star
A settlement between the U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement and the American Civil Liberties Union, Washington contained a provision requiring the improvement of conditions for children held by ICE.
Excerpt:
“All 10-year-old Kevin Yourdkhani remembers about the T. Don Hutto
immigration detention centre in Texas is that it’s “a very bad place
for children and babies…As part of the settlement, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
said it would allow detained children to move freely at the facility,
provide a full-time paediatrician, end the “count system,” install
privacy curtains around toilets and offer outings, toys, books and
child-appropriate food to minors.”
Congress Pushes Back on H1-B Visas
Via ChannelInsider
The possibility of H-1B reform or relief seems to be unlikely, according
to this article.
U.S. Deports Parents of Dead Soldiers
Via Alternet
Three years after U.S. Army Private Armando Soriano, 20, died fighting
in Haditha, Iraq, his father is facing deportation. Soriano is now
buried in Houston, Tex., his hometown, where his parents, undocumented
workers from Mexico, are currently living.
‘Green-card soldier’ film tragic
“The Short Life of Jose Antonio Gutierrez is an award-winning documentary about the first U.S. soldier to be killed in Iraq during the current war.
Gutierrez was not actually an American but a “green-card soldier,” one of the thousands of non-citizens in the U.S. Armed Forces who hope their military service will speed up citizenship. “
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U.S. Agency Is Swamped by Requests for Visas
By JULIA PRESTON
“Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency, was still receiving applications for employment visas yesterday, the last day of a special period it announced on July 17 for immigrants with professional skills to file petitions for permanent residence visas, known as green cards. As a result, the total tally of applications received in the last six weeks was not available.
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The U.S. Immigration Law Blog by Ashwin Sharma 