Passport Requirement for Air Travel Begins Today
Release Date: January 23, 2007
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: (202) 282-8010
Beginning today, citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and
Bermuda are now required to present a passport to enter the United
States when arriving by air from any part of the Western Hemisphere.
The department expects a smooth transition to the new passport
requirement based on the current numbers of travelers arriving at U.S.
airports with passports. Over 90 percent of U.S. citizens, 97 percent
of Canadians, and virtually 100 percent of Mexicans and Bermudans
flying to the United States over the past week arrived with passports.
The air requirement is part of the departments of State and Homeland
Security’s Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. This change in travel
document requirements is the result of recommendations made by the 9/11
Commission, which Congress subsequently passed into law in the
Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.
The only acceptable alternative documents to a passport for air
travel will be the Merchant Mariner Document (MMD) and the NEXUS Air
card. The MMD, or “z card”, is issued by the U.S. Coast Guard to U.S.
Merchant Mariners. The NEXUS Air card is issued to citizens of Canada
and the United States, lawful permanent residents of the United States
and permanent residents of Canada who meet certain eligibility
requirements. The NEXUS Air card will only be accepted when used in
conjunction with the NEXUS Air program at certain airports. The MMD
card will only be accepted when used on official business by U.S.
Citizen Merchant Mariners. All active duty members of the United States
Armed Forces traveling with military identification will be exempt from
the requirement to present a valid passport when entering the United
States. Legal Permanent Residents of the U.S. may re-enter on their
I-551 Permanent Resident Card.
A separate proposed rule addressing land and sea travel will be
published at a later date with specific requirements for travelers
entering the United States through land and sea border crossings. As
early as Jan.1, 2008, citizens traveling between the United States and
Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda
by land or sea may be required to present a valid passport or other
documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security to enter
the United States.
Commentary – “A Petty Lesson – Efforts to deny higher education to undocumented students is not just mean-spirited. It’s also self-defeating.”
01/18/2007
An excellent article by Ben Fulton of the Salt Lake City Weekly advocating higher education for undocumented students.
State Immigration Bill Defeated In Committee
Via The Morning News
LITTLE ROCK — A House committee Tuesday turned back legislation to bar state agencies from contracting with businesses that employ illegal immigrants.
House Bill 1024 by Rep. Rick Green, R-Van Buren, would prohibit state agencies from entering into or renewing a public contract with a contractor “who knows or should know” that it or a subcontractor employs an illegal immigrant.
Green offered an amendment to the bill that would give a contractor 60 days to correct the situation after the firm is found to be employing an illegal immigrant.
The vote was 8-7, with 11 votes needed for the 20-member committee’s endorsement.
Green said the bill would be a way for Arkansas to “take a stand” on the issue of illegal immigration.
Several members, among them Rep. Daryl Pace, R-Siloam Springs, questioned why the measure would be necessary when employing illegal immigrants is already a violation of federal law.
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Immigrants Mistreated, Report Says
Wednesday, January 17, 2007; Page A08
U.S. authorities mistreated suspected illegal immigrants at five prisons and jails nationwide, violating federal standards meant to ensure safe and humane custody, according to a government report released yesterday.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and contractors denied timely medical treatment to some of the immigrants, failed to disclose and justify disciplinary actions against them, and improperly limited access to relatives, lawyers and immigration authorities, according to the Department of Homeland Security inspector general.
Detention officers failed to establish a system to report abuse and violated health and safety rules by neglecting to monitor prisoners on hunger strikes or suicide watches and by serving undercooked food, the report said.
The report comes amid a sharp increase in illegal immigrants in U.S. detention as Congress and the Bush administration debate an overhaul of immigration laws and promise tougher enforcement of existing laws. Civil liberties and immigrant advocacy groups are stepping up scrutiny of conditions. Jorge Bustamante, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights of immigrants, has asked to visit U.S. detention centers next month.
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Posada Makes 1st Court Appearance
Tuesday, January 16, 2007; 9:46 PM
EL PASO, Texas — An anti-Castro militant indicted on charges of lying to federal immigration agents in a bid to become a naturalized citizen made his first court appearance Tuesday.
Shackled at the wrists and ankles, Luis Posada Carriles was read the charges in a seven-count indictment made public last week but did not enter a plea. He was ordered held without bail pending a bond hearing Friday.
Posada, 78, a former CIA operative and U.S. Army soldier, has been held at an El Paso immigration detention center since May 2005 on a charge that he entered the country illegally through Mexico.
The indictment says Posada entered the country on a boat, instead of with the help of a human smuggler as he claims. It also alleges he lied about having a Guatemalan passport and using an alias, among other things.
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U.S. Farmers Facing Labor Shortages
Wednesday, January 17, 2007; 4:21 AM
ALBANY, N.Y. — Farmer Jim Bittner wanted to add thousands of peach trees to his 500-acre fruit farm last year, but canceled his order, concerned about whether he’ll have enough hands to harvest the crop.
A grower of apples, peaches and cherries northeast of Buffalo, Bittner said he needs to see what type of immigration package comes out of Washington this year _ and how it will affect farm laborers _ before making any major changes.
“Peaches have to be hand-pruned and hand-harvested,” he said. “This past harvest time I didn’t stop worrying that I wouldn’t have help every morning. We’re just holding tight to see what happens.”
Although labor shortages have had the widest impact in places nearer to the U.S.-Mexican border, like California and Texas, Northeastern farmers have also been forced to adjust. Growers went to Washington last week to campaign for a new Senate bill that would create a guest worker program to grant as many as 1.5 million farm laborers legal status to keep working in the United States.
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USCIS Introduces Change of Address Online Function to Web
USCIS PRESS RELEASE WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today launched a new web-based service allowing USCIS customers to submit change of address information online. All non-citizens in the United States are legally required to keep USCIS informed of any change of address within 10 days of their move by completing an Alien Change of Address Card (Form AR-11). Individuals with a pending immigration case should also notify USCIS of any change of address. This will ensure that customers receive notices or decisions related to their case in a timely manner. “Not only is this a terrific service for our customers, in the long run it is a great cost and time saver,” said USCIS Director Emilio Gonzalez. “USCIS is continuing to retool the agency to get as much efficiency from automation as possible.” USCIS processes more than one million change of address requests each year. The new online service will reduce processing time and improve customer service by providing immediate confirmation that USCIS has received the updated address information. Overall, test users found the new online form convenient and simple to use. This is the first phase of this online system. Phase two, which is projected to launch sometime in May, will include additional customer service features, including allowing applicants with a pending naturalization application to report their change of address online. Until then, those individuals should continue to contact USCIS by telephone at 1-800-375-5283 to report their change of address. Before using the online change of address tool, users should have the following information available: – USCIS receipt number (If you have a pending case with USCIS), – New and old addresses, – Names and biographical information for family members for whom you have filed a petition, and – Date and location (port of entry) of your last entry into the United States. USCIS will continue to accept change of address cards through the mail. Change of Address online is available on the UCSIS web site at: http://www.uscis.gov/AR-11.
Gallegly introduces anti-immigration package to Democratic-lead Congress
Via The Simi Valley Acorn
01/13/2007
U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly (R Thousand Oaks) recently introduced six bills in Congress to fight illegal immigration in the United States.
“A top priority for this new Congress- and any Congress, for that matter- should be to reduce the high levels of illegal immigrants entering this nation,” Gallegly said. “This is a problem that goes directly to our responsibilities as a sovereign nation to secure our borders and enforce our laws.”
The bills are designed to remove incentives for immigrants to enter the U.S. illegally, bring fairness to federal immigration laws and close loopholes that enable illegal immigrants to circumvent U.S. laws.
The Identity Theft Notification Act of 2007 would require the Social Security Administration to investigate if it receives W-2 forms with the same Social Security number but different addresses.
If the Social Security Administration finds evidence of fraudulent activity, it is required to notify both the Department of Homeland Security and the legal possessor of the Social Security number.
This will enable innocent people to take steps to protect their credit and identity.
The Employment Eligibility Verification and Anti-Identity Theft Act would require workers to resolve discrepancies if their names and Social Security numbers do not match. Employers would have to terminate workers who do not resolve discrepancies.
The Social Security Administration also would be required to notify the Department of Homeland Security so it can investigate whether a crime has been committed.
The Citizenship Reform Act of 2007 would bring U.S. laws into line with virtually every other nation by requiring that at least one parent be a citizen or permanent resident for a child to automatically become a citizen.
Additionally, Gallegly introduced a bill that will make current U.S. immigration law more fair.
Under current law, an illegal immigrant who leaves the country faces a bar of up to three years if he has been in the country illegally for more than six months and a 10-year bar if he has been here illegally for more than a year.
However, if an illegal immigrant never leaves the country but applies to adjust his status, he faces no reentry prohibitions. The proposed legislation provides that all illegal immigrants face the same penalty, even if they are eligible for a change in status.
The final two bills would criminalize actions common among illegal immigrants.
Many illegal immigrants who are apprehended and agree to voluntarily depart either fail to leave or leave only to return. The new bill would make it a felony, with a mandatory one-year jail sentence, for illegal immigrants to agree to leave and then either fail to leave or return illegally.
The sixth bill would make it a felony, with a mandatory one-year jail sentence, when illegal immigrants ignore the law and refuse to appear in court when ordered.
Supporters of Immigration Overhaul Rally
By SUZANNE GAMBOA
The Associated Press
Wednesday, January 10, 2007; 5:09 PM
WASHINGTON — Backers of overhauling immigration rules began a congressional push Wednesday to give temporary legal status to up to 1.5 million illegal immigrant workers to provide a labor pool for U.S. agriculture.
The proposal is a recycled version of parts of a bill that stalled after passing the Senate last year. House Republicans blocked negotiations on the measure, sticking with a get-tough stand against illegal immigrants before the November elections.
Those wanting to liberalize immigration laws hope the combination of a Democratic majority in Congress, support from President Bush and a perceived backlash against anti-immigration rhetoric in the elections will help power the comprehensive immigration proposals.
“The reality is Americans have come to rely on an undocumented migrant work force to harvest our crops,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said in a news conference.
Under the bill, illegal immigrants who can show they have labored in agriculture for at least 150 work days for the past two years would become eligible for a “blue card” bestowing temporary legal status. Their spouses and minor children also could get a blue card if they already live in the U.S.
People with these cards who work an additional three years, at least 150 days a year, or five years, at least 100 days a year, would be eligible for legal residency. But they first would have to pay a $500 fine, be up to date on taxes, have no record of committing crimes involving bodily injury or threat of serious bodily injury or have caused property damage of more than $500.
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Travellers report no problems at US Immigration (Bermuda)
| By Tim Smith |
The first day of new US passport regulations appeared to go smoothly at Bermuda Airport yesterday.
Under new rules drawn up in the wake of the 9/11 terror strikes, US-bound Bermudian travellers now have to present a passport to enter America.
From midnight yesterday, in order to benefit from the visa waiver allowed under US law for Bermudians, passports must have a Bermuda Status Stamp.
The move has led to such a crush of Bermudians rushing into the Office of Immigration over the past few months that Ministry officials are considering a permanent change to the way the official Register of Bermudians is kept.
However, commuters and their families and staff at the airport said there had been no teething problems in the first day of the new system.
More than 30,000 Bermudians have filed through the Ministry offices for the new stamp since the United States Department of Homeland Security announced the new travel regulations last November.
Visa causes odyssey for Queen Creek couple
| By Art Martori, Tribune |
| January 10, 2007 |
| Gerlinde Foltin had a pained look in her eyes last week as she opened a passport from her native Austria. Scrawled across the last page was a note from a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent that reads “Subject required B2 visa for further entries.” |
When Gerlinde goes back to Austria, she won’t have a job waiting and she’ll have to stay with family members who have seen her only sporadically during the past three years. But she’s planning to go back to Vienna, nonetheless, and wait for the U.S. to review her visa application, a process that could take another two years.
“I don’t know if our marriage will survive,” Foltin said in broken English.
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America’s New Immigrant Entrepreneurs
Via AILA
01/10/2007
A new study from Duke University indicates that immigrant entrepreneurs founded 25.3 percent of the U.S. engineering and technology companies established in the past decade. Furthermore, foreign nationals contributed to an estimated 24.2 percent of international patent applications in 2006.
The goal of this research was to document the economic and intellectual contributions of immigrant technologists and engineers at the national level. To understand the economic impact, the study looked at a large sample of all engineering and technology companies founded in the last ten years to determine whether a key founder was an immigrant. To understand the intellectual contribution, they analyzed the World Intellectual Property Organization Patent Cooperation Treaty database for international patent applications filed in the United States.
See the full report at: http://memp.pratt.duke.edu/downloads/americas_new_immigrant_entrepreneurs.pdf
The U.S. Immigration Law Blog by Ashwin Sharma 
Commentary – “Don’t foment hate; address roots of immigration problems”
Interesting article by Immigration lawyer Ricardo Skerrett.
An excerpt;
“Recent anti-immigrant letters are an example of how misinformation can slant and misguide public opinion on an issue that has different angles.
Sadly, this is becoming a hate issue to the extreme that many would go as far as negating undocumented immigrants a basic right upon which our nation is founded: the due process of law.
Even foreign nationals who are not citizens enjoy basic due process rights, including the right to counsel, to confront witnesses and to a fair and impartial hearing. This is what has made our form of government so unique, so great and a source of inspiration throughout the world. “