Updates & Happenings Around the US...

DHS has just released a fact sheet on border security & immigration enforcement.

http://www.aila.org/content/default.aspx?docid=24801

The two-page fact sheet highlights the efforts that DHS has been making in regards to border enforcement, interior enforcement, and policy implementations such as E-verify and the Social Security "No-Match Letter" Rule.

DHS states that the Border Patrol now has over 15,000 agents and that by the end of the year expects to have more then 18,300 (which is double the number of Border Patrol agents that existed in FY 2001).

E-Verify is an Internet-based system operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA). E-Verify is currently free to employers and is available in all 50 states. E-Verify provides an automated link to federal databases to help employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers.

E-Verify is free and currently has over 54,000 employers registered with 1000 new employers registering each week. Currently E-Verify is not mandatory, though it has been suggested that it be mandatory as part of an immigration reform package.

Last year DHS issued proposed regulations in regards to what an employer should do when they receive a "No Match Letter" from the Social Security Administration when they have a Social Security Number that does not match the name assigned to it. These proposed regulations has been a point of increased contention between USCIS and the ACLU and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce-and is currently the subject of lawsuits that have delayed the implementation of this program.

Also in the news...

State Department officials announced that of the 7,000 visas promised to be granted to Iraqis by the Bush Administration only 1,400 have been granted. “Resources are finite and at this point, we’re robbing Peter to pay Paul,” said James Foley, senior coordinator for the department’s Iraqi Refugee Issues office.

Two new Bi-partisan immigration bills will be up for debate in Congress this week. The proposed bills, jointly called the SCAAP Reimbursement Protection Act of 2008, would extend reimbursement to states and localities for incarcerating undocumented immigrants if they have been charged with one felony or two misdemeanors.

Here is a link to the text of the Bill: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:S.2587:

The Associated Press reports the Virginia House passed a bill that prohibits undocumented immigrants from attending public colleges and universities. The bill passed 73-26 and now heads to the Democrat-controlled Senate.

And finally in the "Way to go Colorado!" department we have this:

Colorado’s House will examine a proposed bill that seeks to open an immigration office in Mexico with the intent to bring more seasonal foreign workers to the state. Rep. Marsha Looper, R-Calhan, says farms throughout the state and country are suffering because they can’t get the guest workers needed to harvest labor-intensive crops. Looper argues that the federal H-2A visa program is too slow and produces only about 35,000 employees annually rather than the 700,000 needed nationwide. Here is a link to the text of the bill:

http://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2008a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont/611BF939B7A81E72872573A80065E651?Open&file=1325_01.pdf

Onward & Upward!
ITH