http://www.immigrationnation.net Immigration Nation Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.immigrationnation.net/articles/minuteman_media_immigration_anger_often_due_to_slow_paperwork It turns out this Congress is interested in immigration after all. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., introduced legislation allowing unused family and worker visas from previous years to be made available for current use, a day after a heated debate over a similar bill in a House Judiciary subcommittee. Menendez's intentions are laudable, but his tactics may be flawed. Without first fixing the bottleneck that is immigration processing, making more visas available may cause more problems than it solves. Improving immigration processing is not a sexy topic, nor does it provide many opportunities for partisan gain.

]]> Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 en-us http://www.immigrationnation.net/articles/farmers_branch_wont_pursue_legal_battle_on_immigrant_rental_ban_ruled_unconstitutional Farmers Branch has decided to stop fighting for one of its ordinances to ban housing rentals to illegal immigrants and will instead concentrate on defending a replacement. City officials had vowed to support the earlier measure, which a federal judge recently declared unconstitutional, to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary. But city officials said the newer measure, Ordinance 2952, is more likely to withstand legal challenges and would still carry out the will of the voters who approved the earlier one, Ordinance 2903.

]]> Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 en-us http://www.immigrationnation.net/articles/more_than_1100_arrested_in_ca_immigration_sweep Federal immigration authorities say more than 1,150 people have been arrested in a special three-week enforcement action in California The sweep targeted immigration violators including those who have ignored deportation orders or returned to the U.S. illegally after being deported. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Virginia Kice said Monday that more than 400 of those arrested were from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

]]> Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 en-us http://www.immigrationnation.net/articles/immigration_issue_polarizes_suburban_america It's patrol day for Maureen Wood and Allison Kipp. Armed with a notebook and cell phone, the two friends set off in a minivan in search of changes they don't like in their hometown. Hispanic men gather at a 7-Eleven. Graffiti sprouts on a back fence. The women catalog it all, planning to take up each item with local authorities. "This isn't who we are," says Kipp, disgust clouding her face. "This isn't what we want our community to be like."

]]> Sun, 28 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 en-us http://www.immigrationnation.net/articles/labor_day Labor Day has traditionally celebrated the contributions of the American worker. Sadly, this year's Labor Day holiday is observed amid the largest worksite enforcement raids in history.

]]> Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 en-us http://www.immigrationnation.net/articles/improve_readability Are you receiving your Immigration Daily email version garbled and with no line breaks, making it difficult to read? This is due to an automatic feature found in the latest version of Microsoft's Outlook 2003. To view Immigration Daily in its original intended format, do the following...

]]> Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 en-us http://www.immigrationnation.net/articles/boy_proves_key_in_getting_grandparents_into_us Tears ran down my face as my grandmother told an interviewer in Persian the story of her miraculous escape from Iran 25 years ago. I had heard portions of her story many times before, but this time, I was serving as her translator for an on-camera interview, and for the first time, I discovered the important role I played as a young child in making her immigration to America a reality. "It's been years since I left Iran," my grandmother told the interviewer, "and I have tried to forget that very special life I had and what happened when I was forced to leave it all behind, because those are very painful memories."

]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 en-us http://www.immigrationnation.net/articles/3_illegal_immigrants_agree_to_leave_for_mexico BOSTON--Three of 31 janitorial workers arrested during immigration raids at Rhode Island courthouses in July have agreed to voluntarily return to Mexico. A federal immigration judge in Boston on Wednesday granted voluntary departure to the three men, all Mexican natives. Under voluntary departure, the men must leave the United States at their own expense by Jan. 1 or face deportation.

]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 en-us http://www.immigrationnation.net/articles/aclu_sues_to_halt_ri_governors_immigration_order A civil rights group filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to block Gov. Don Carcieri from enforcing an executive order requiring private employers to electronically check the immigration status of new hires. The lawsuit, filed by the state branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, challenges an executive order that Carcieri signed in March to clamp down on illegal immigration. Carcieri's order requires state police and prison officials to identify illegal immigrants for possible deportation. It also forces state agencies and companies doing business with the state to use a federal database to check the immigration status of new employees. Companies that refuse to comply could lose their state contracts.

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