Here is the leaked USCIS memo

What does this leaked Memo mean for CIR? I do not know , but The Tea Party is going to have a field day with this

Backdoor CIR?

The online publication Pro Publica reported that USCIS may be considering ways to act without Congressional approval to achieve many of the objectives of a Comprehensive Immigration Reform legislation. The article is worth reading and further reports that Sen Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa yesterday leaked an internal memorandum drafted by Alejandro Mayorkas outlining these measures. Sen Grassley who with six other senators apparently had written to President Obama more than a month ago, asking for his assurance that rumors regarding some sort of reprieve was in the works for millions of illegal immigrants weren't true.

http://www.propublica.org/article/obama-administration-considers-bypassing-congress-on-immigration-reform

US naturalized citizen of the day- Madeleine Albright

Madeleine Korbel Albright was born May 15, 1937 in the Czech Republic. She is the first woman to become a United States Secretary of State. She was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton on December 5, 1996.

Albright now serves as a Professor of International Relations at Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service.

One of the Best Quotes I have heard from a Court in a long time, maybe ever

While our adversarial system may permit such advocacy by private parties, when the United States appears before us, it is duty-bound to 'cut square corners' and seek justice rather than victory.

ICE launches onlines detainee locator system

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is pleased to share some important news from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE has announced the launch of the Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS) – a public, Internet-based tool designed to assist family members, attorneys and other interested parties in locating detained aliens in ICE custody. Please find attached an ICE News Release and an informational brochure in English and Spanish. The ODLS is located on ICE’s public website at www.ice.gov.

Arizona Cop is against the Arizona Immigration Law

There hadn’t been much public indication as to how actual police officers felt, though, until Phoenix, AZ-based Officer Paul Dobson did a Skype interview two months ago with Brave New Foundation’s Cuéntame project about how the new law made him feel. The answer? Like “a Nazi.”

My Home County , Hamilton County Ohio partners with ICE

Hamilton County to benefit from ICE strategy to enhance the
identification, removal of criminal aliens
Uses biometrics to prioritize immigration enforcement actions against convicted criminal aliens


CINCINNATI- On Tuesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began using a new biometric information sharing capability in Hamilton County that helps federal immigration officials identify aliens, both lawfully and unlawfully present in the United States, who are booked into local law enforcement's custody for a crime. This capability is part of Secure Communities-ICE's comprehensive strategy to improve
and modernize the identification and removal of criminal aliens from the United States.

Previously, fingerprint-based biometric records were taken of individuals charged with a crime and booked into custody and checked for criminal history information against the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). Now, through enhanced information sharing between DOJ and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), fingerprint information submitted through the state to the FBI will be automatically checked against both the FBI criminal history records in IAFIS and the biometrics-based immigration records in DHS's Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT).

If fingerprints match those of someone in DHS's biometric system, the new automated process notifies ICE.
ICE evaluates each case to determine the individual's immigration status and takes appropriate enforcementaction. This includes aliens who are in lawful status and those who are present without lawful authority. Once identified through fingerprint matching, ICE will respond with a priority placed on aliens convicted of the most serious offenses first-such as those with convictions for major drug offenses, murder, rape and kidnapping.

"The Secure Communities strategy provides ICE with an effective tool to identify criminal aliens in localcustody," said Secure Communities Executive Director David Venturella. "Enhancing public safety is at the core of ICE's mission. Our goal is to use biometric information sharing to remove criminal aliens, preventingthem from being released back into the community, with little or no additional burden on our law enforcement.

With the expansion of the biometric information sharing capability to Hamilton, ICE is now using it in five Ohio jurisdictions, including Butler, Cuyahoga, Franklin and Montgomery counties. Across the country, ICE is using this capability in 467 jurisdictions in 26 states. ICE expects to make it available in jurisdictions
nationwide by 2013.
"
The ability for local law enforcement to run fingerprints against the ICE database is a critical tool in protecting our streets and neighborhoods," Hamilton County Sheriff Simon L. Leis, Jr., said. "Aliens illegally
in our country committing crimes in our communities is unacceptable. We are happy to work with ICE to identify those illegal aliens in a streamlined fashion and expedite their removal."

Since ICE began using this enhanced information sharing capability in October 2008, immigration officers have removed from the United States more than 9,800 criminal aliens convicted of Level 1 crimes, such as murder, rape and kidnapping. Additionally, ICE has removed more than 24,800 criminal aliens convicted of level 2 and 3 crimes, including burglary and serious property crimes, which account for the majority of crimes committed by aliens. ICE does not regard aliens charged with, but not yet convicted of crimes, as "criminal aliens." Instead, a "criminal alien" is an alien convicted of a crime. In accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act, ICE continues to take action on aliens subject to removal as resources permit.

The IDENT system is maintained by DHS's US-VISIT program and IAFIS is maintained by the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS).
"US VISIT is proud to support ICE, helping provide decision makers with comprehensive, reliable information when and where they need it," said US-VISIT Director Robert Mocny. "By enhancing the interoperability of DHS's and the FBI's biometric systems, we are able to give federal, state and local decision makers information that helps them better protect our communities and our nation.""Under this plan, ICE will be utilizing FBI system enhancements that allow improved information sharing at the state and local law enforcement level based on positive identification of incarcerated criminal aliens," said Daniel D. Roberts, assistant director of the FBI's CJIS Division. "Additionally, ICE and the FBI are working together to take advantage of the strong relationships already forged between the FBI and state and local law enforcement necessary to assist ICE in achieving its goals." For more information, visit

www.ice.gov/secure_communities (http://www.ice.gov/secure_communities/

US Naturalized Citizen of the Day- Ingacia Moya

Normally this blog post features a "famous" naturalized citizen. However , this naturalized citizen of the day is special as she became a US citizen at the age of 106 years old.

"She's frail, blind and has trouble with her hearing, but at 106 years old, Moya proved that you're never too old to become an American citizen."

Click the title to read the story. Amazing.

Obama Deploys Troops to the Boarder

Department of Homeland Security and DOD announced that National Guard deployments to the Southwest border will begin on 8/1/10 as part of the administration's efforts to combat the transnational criminal organizations that smuggle weapons, cash and people across the Southwest border.

The Illegal Alien Debate

Written by: Crystal Williams, AILA

Yesterday, I looked down at my speedometer to see that I was driving at 55 mph in a 40 mph zone. I clearly was in violation of traffic laws.

I came home to notice my neighbor firing up a barbeque grill on his balcony–a definite violation of the city fire code.

I then read about how a list of supposed “illegal immigrants” was assembled and circulated in Utah, a probable violation of a host of laws, particularly if, as accused, it was state government employees behind the list.

Yet no one calls me or the millions like me an illegal driver. No one would think to call my neighbor an illegal griller. And has anyone called the Utah culprits illegal list-makers? Not to mention, would anyone dream of converting the adjective into a noun and calling us all “illegals”? Yet, we are all just as “illegal” as the people who are in the U.S. in violation of the immigration laws. (And, yes, the grilling and, in the jurisdiction it happened, the speeding are civil, not criminal, violations. But so is being unlawfully present in the U.S.)

Every time I speak publicly about immigration, I get the predictable crop of sloganeering and hate emails, with the former usually saying “what part of illegal don’t you understand?”

So, let me answer. People who have come to the U.S. to pick our crops, clean our tables, maintain our yards and take care of our children or grandparents are referred to as “illegals,” as though they are somehow heinous people, and yet those of us who put ourselves and others at risk of potentially fatal car wrecks or fires, or those who have put others at risk of identity theft, vengeful violence, and sheer privacy invasion, are not heatedly condemned.

That is the part of illegal that I don’t understand.

Immigrant student protest

Immigration Court Backlog

Immigration caseload is growing

by: GINNIE GRAHAM World Staff Writer
Sunday, July 18, 2010
7/18/2010 7:43:14 AM

OKLAHOMA CITY — At a Monday immigration court session, Judge Richard R. Ozmun set hearings after presiding over arguments in two cases originating in Tulsa County.

The next available hearing dates are in 2011.

In one case, a single man with American children and grandchildren was arrested after a therapist contacted police when his 16-year-old daughter said he allegedly hit her during an argument about her behavior, his attorney said. He entered the country illegally in 1980.

The other case is a Tulsa resident who came to the country illegally in 1997, married a U.S. citizen and fathered four American-born children. He was stopped by Tulsa police for speeding and detained for immigration, his attorney said.

Both immigrants want a hearing to argue legal reasons for relief from the U.S. Homeland Security's orders to leave. Dates for those hearings are in April 2011 and May 2011.

"This crazy calendar makes it so far out," Ozmun said from the bench while looking at the schedule.

Oklahoma's immigration court, which is part of the regional Dallas office, is experiencing a decade-high number of cases and an increasing backlog.

Immigrants will wait at least nine months to a year between the initial appearance and a hearing date. In some larger cities, the wait can be up to three years.

In most cases, they will be free on bond while awaiting a resolution of their case.

Criminal prosecutions referred by the two largest immigration investigative divisions within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are also rising, according to a recent report from a University of Syracuse-based data tracking organization.

This leap in prosecutions has reached comparable levels last experienced during the Bush Administration, according to the report from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), a non-profit organization.

While the U.S. Department of Homeland Security handles enforcement of immigration laws, the U.S. Department of Justice oversees administrative hearings immigrants may seek to protest removal orders.

Two major parts of the administrative process are the initial appearance, called a master calendar, and following that, a hearing on the merits.

"It used to be within six months, now it's pushing close to a year," said Tulsa attorney David Sobel, who has specialized in immigration law for more than a decade.

"For a lot people, time is their ally. The laws may change or something else can happen in their favor."

The Dallas immigration court, which has jurisdiction over Oklahoma cases, have experienced a growth of about 12 percent since 2000, according to the Justice Department.

Nationally, cases received by the courts compared with 2008 levels vary, with the largest increase in Tucson, Ariz., a 279 percent increase.

Cases reached an all-time high of nearly 243,000 at the end of March, an increase of 6 percent from November and about 30 percent higher than October 2008, according to TRAC.

The Justice Department has 230 judges across the nation hearing cases, which are guided by U.S. law and past legal precedents.

Tulsa attorney Ian Brattlie, who handles immigration cases for Catholic Charities, said the time lag impacts private attorneys more than those in the nonprofit sector or providing representation pro bono.

Typically, it is more difficult for a private attorney to take on cases that may have a long wait based on the fees collected for rendering services.

"Aliens, obviously, have a different stress when being in removal proceedings to over a year," Brattlie said. "But as a general rule, I prefer longer dockets to short ones."

The wait for a resolution has grown to a national average of about 443 days, with California topping the list at an average wait of 619 days.

Oklahoma's wait time is just under a year, according to TRAC.

"Most of the time this is beneficial to the client as it gives them the time to gather all the documentation the court needs to be able to properly evaluate their cases," said Oklahoma City immigration attorney Larry Davis.

"Oklahoma City it doing pretty good compared to other parts of the country. I understand that Atlanta is two years out and that Los Angeles and San Francisco are almost three years out."

A TRAC report released in May states that caseloads vary based on factors such as changing enforcement in different states and municipalities.

"The backlogs of pending cases are driven by numerous factors. Chief among them is the number of available judges in a particular locality relative to the caseload demand," the report states.

"Also important is the number of available judges. One court may have added more judges, while another may have recently lost a judge whether through retirement, promotion, transfer or death. Adding to this mix of forces is the different composition of cases that each hearing location handles."

Nearly all Oklahoma hearings are held at the Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office located in Oklahoma City.

For inmates convicted of crimes and serving sentences in prisons, hearings may be held at the detention center.

The hearings in detention centers generally have shorter wait times because the Justice Department usually assigns a higher priority to prevent backlogs at the facilities, according to the report.

"The Court does schedule detained alien cases much quicker, usually within six weeks," Davis said. "This is probably good because most of those types of cases involve more serious offenses."
Criminal Prosecutions
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Customs and Border Protection agencies referred 9,135 new cases for prosecution, according to TRAC, which uses the federal Freedom of Information Act to retrieve the data.

These prosecutions are handled by U.S. attorneys in federal courts.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement set a record number of prosecution referrals since the agency's creation in 2005.

In March and April, the agency referred 4,145 cases, which surpasses the previous high of 3,777 in July and August 2008 and 3,787 in July and August 2009.

The most common charge is for "re-entry of a deported alien," with 2,285 filings in U.S. district courts in April. The second-highest offense is "bringing in and harboring certain aliens," with 329 charges filed in April.

The U.S. magistrate courts handle less serious misdemeanor cases, with the most frequent filing (63 percent) involves "entry of alien at improper time or place."

In Tulsa's U.S. Northern District Court, the prosecutions have more than tripled — from six cases last year to 21 cases so far this year. All are for immigrants illegally living in the country after a previous deportation.

Local federal officials cite new Homeland Security programs for the increase. These programs allow for a person's citizenship status to be detected by jail or prison officials after coming into custody.

If convicted of immigration violations prosecuted by a U.S. attorney, a defendant could face up to 20 years in a U.S. prison before facing deportation.

During March and April, 14,912 new cases were referred by Customs and Border Protection. That total is the highest two-month amount since September and October 2008, when the figure was 16,127, according to TRAC.

About 98 percent of customs and border referrals went to judicial districts in border states — Texas, Arizona, California and New Mexico.

"In contrast, ICE activity was spread through the U.S. with the southwest border districts accounting for less than half of prosecutions referred by that agency," the TRAC report states. "While the southwest border districts showed a jump of one third, the rest of the nation showed an even larger increase (51%) from the levels seen two months earlier."

US naturalized citizen of the day- Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand was born February 2, 1905 in Russia. She was a novelist, philosopher,[2] playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism. . She first achieved fame in 1943 with her novel The Fountainhead, which in 1957 was followed by her best-known work, the philosophical novel Atlas Shrugged.

H-1b FY2010 Cap update

As of July 9, 2010, approximately 24,800 H-1B cap-subject petitions were receipted. Additionally, USCIS has receipted 10,600 H-1B petitions for aliens with advanced degrees.

Please call The Fleischer Immigration Group of Cohen , Todd Kite & Stanford in Cincinnati , Ohio to process your H-1b visa. (513) 421-4020

US naturalized Citizen of the Day- Zbigniew Kazimierz Brzezinski

Zbigniew Kazimierz Brzezinski was born March 28, 1928 in Warsaw, Poland. He is an American political scientist, geostrategist, and statesman who served as United States National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981.

August 2010 Visa Bulletin

EB-1 – all current
EB-2 – all current, except China (01 MAR 06) and India (01 MAR 06)
EB-3 – all 01 JUN 04, except China (22 SEP 03), India (01 JAN 02), and Mexico (U)

Interesting facts about the backlogs
China: China EB2 improved nearly four months since the last Visa Bulletin. China EB3 is now separate from the EB3 All Chargeability.

India: India has made significant strides in the last few months. India EB2, which has now progressed 13 months. India EB3 is now in Jan 2002.

Dream Act Makes Sense

Besides AgJobs, the Dream Act which would allow for a path to citizenship for children of undocumented aliens is a law that makes sense. Why hurt innocent children because of the acts of their parents?

Click the clink to read more about the Dream Act

Colbert on AgJobsand Immigration

CLick here for Colbert's hilarious clip supporting AgJobs.

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/340925/july-08-2010/arturo-rodriguez

Columbia Jounalist denied US Visa

Morris sought a U.S. student visa so he could take a fellowship for journalists at Harvard University, his application was denied. He was ineligible, U.S. officials told him, under the "terrorist activities" section of the USA Patriot Act. The denial has incensed human rights advocates in Washington, who have raised concerns that the Obama administration has been influenced by Colombian President Álvaro Uribe's government, a frequent target of Morris's critical reports.

US Naturalized Citizen of the Day - Hannah Arendt

Hannah Arendt was born in 1906 in Germany. She was an influential German Jewish political theorist. She has often been described as a philosopher, although she refused that label on the grounds that philosophy is concerned with "man in the singular." She described herself instead as a political theorist because her work centers on the fact that "men, not Man, live on the earth and inhabit the world."

Changes in appointments for NIV in China

Effective immediately, non-immigrant visa applicants may book interview appointments at any U.S. Consular Section in China, regardless of the province or city where they live. Consular Sections are located at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and U.S. Consulates General in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenyang."

Arizona Sheriff under investigation

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio calls himself "America's toughest sheriff." He is famous for creating a tent city jail in the Arizona desert; for providing pink underwear for inmates; for bragging that he spends more to feed his dog than a prisoner in his jail.

Another reason for the DREAM ACT

Congress must pass the Dream Act. It makes sense Except for those conservative that blame the parents, and leave the children behind

US Naturalized Citisen of the Day - Dinesh D'Souza from India

Dinesh D'Souza was born April 25, 1961 in India and is an author and public speaker who once served as the Robert and Karen Rishwain Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

He is a conservative writer and speaker and the author of numerous New York Times best selling books including The Enemy At Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11, What's so Great about Christianity?, and Letters to a Young Conservative,

Take our Jobs

I Can NOT WAIT for the clip tonite, I will post tomorrow

Stephen Colbert is teaming up with U.S. farmworkers to present a tongue-in-cheek campaign called "Take Our Jobs" on July 8, according to The Associated Press.

Take Our Jobs addresses the politicians and anti-immigration activists who blame farmworkers for taking the jobs of unemployed Americans. United Farm Workers of America president Arturo Rodriguez says his organization is encouraging the unemployed to apply for some of thousands of agricultural jobs posted with state agencies at http://www.takeourjobs.org.

"The reality is farmworkers who are here today aren't taking any American jobs away. They work in often unbearable situations," Rodriguez said. "I don't think there will be many takers, but the offer is being made. Let's see what happens."

The campaign will be featured on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report to highlight the unlikeliness of Americans clamoring for what the Bureau of Labor Statistics' calls one of the top 10 most dangerous jobs in the nation.

Hot Dog eating Champion Granted O-1 visa as Alien of extraordinary ability

Hot dog eating champion and competitive eater Kobayahi from Japan was granted an O-1 visa as an alien of extraordinary ability. This visa category is used for the best of the best in the world. The O-1A visa granted to Kobayashi is limited to individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement in the sciences, education, business, or athletics, as evidenced by “sustained national or international acclaim.”

For the record, he was recently arrested yesterday July 4 at the hot dog eating contest, wonder if ICE put a hold on him?

4 the Fourth

The Real American Dream

The American dream is the defining principle of our nation and the muse of our founding fathers as they built our nation. The inspiration is not only for the American citizen, but for citizens of other countries who come to fulfill their own destiny and the freedoms they long for.



The American dream has led to the pursuit of higher education, unprecedented achievements in innovation and technology that, for starters, sent man to the moon, and successes in research and medicine known the world over. There is more to speak of.

We are America, and our story is legend.

America had humble but noble beginnings. We were molded by a simple group of people who defied oppression in search of a dream - the dream of freedom, justice, liberty and life in a new world. On this notion, our country grew both in greatness and in size, battling the odds it encountered along the way. The Americans then, as now, were a proud people and were willing to defend their country at all costs. Though under the yoke of a colonizer, the people fought for their freedom and the liberty to form their own nation.

Today, we stand together, the beneficiaries of their courageous struggle. Over the years, generations of Americans have continued our forefathers' legacy of sacrifice and selflessness. To the Americans today and for those to follow, we offer a country where the hopeless find hope and those who pursue their dreams fulfill them.

• To read other letters from readers, click on the links under Related Articles at top right

Twenty-six years ago, my parents came to America to follow their own dreams. Much like the first settlers of the New World, they were hardworking, determined and full of promise. Both moved from the Philippines and were fresh out of college, looking to attend graduate school. My father, with a degree in economics, was the first in his family to move to America and receive a Western education. My mother, with a degree in political science, wished to pursue a new life and help support her aging mother back home.

Once my parents graduated, they traveled the country and grabbed opportunities where they could in hope to eventually settle down. Work eventually brought them to Cincinnati, where they raised our family.

My mother and father have gained much knowledge and wisdom from their experiences in America and have passed on these lessons to my brother and me. They remind us to work hard in school and grasp every opportunity to do better and never take anything for granted. To us, their offspring, these lessons remain the true spirit of America.

My story may differ from that of America's founding fathers, but it conveys a similar message: In America, we can choose our own destiny. One can make it here with determination and hard work and belief in one's self.

Happy 4rth of July

Naturalized US Citizen of the Day- Frank Capra

Frank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director and a creative force behind a number of films of the 1930s and 1940s, including It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), Lost Horizon (1937), You Can't Take It With You (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Meet John Doe (1941), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946).

Watch the White House Immigration Debate

JOIN THE LIVE CHAT

VISIT WHITEHOUSE.GOV

Obama calls for Republicans to support Immigration Reform

President Obama today called for a "practical, common sense" immigration system that will help the U.S. economy and maintain America's immigrant tradition -- and he put the pressure on Republicans to get it through Congress