Randy Quaid seeks asylum in Canada

Just found this story.. very interesting U.S. actor Randy Quaid and his wife Evi are seeking refugee status in Canada, telling an Immigration and Refugee Board hearing in Vancouver that they fear for their lives in the U.S. The Quaids told the hearing Friday that eight of their close friends had been killed in recent years and they now felt endangered themselves. Evi Quaid said friends such as actors David Carradine and Heath Ledger were "murdered" under mysterious circumstances and she's worried something will happen to her husband. "We feel our lives are in danger," she said. "Randy has known eight close friends murdered in odd, strange manners ... We feel that we're next." Ledger was nominated for an Oscar for his lead role in the movie Brokeback Mountain. He died in January 2008 from an accidental overdose.

Retrogression is official

Charlie Oppenheim, Chief of Visa Control at the State Department, has confirmed that, effective March 23, 2012, no further EB-2 visas will be authorized for China-mainland born and India applicants with priority dates of August 15, 2007, or later. Visa applicants processing in April at consulates abroad will still receive visas, as those numbers were allocated before the cut-off date was established. Mr. Oppenheim understands that USCIS will contine to receive and process applications for adjustment of status for aliens with priority dates prior to the date established in the April 2012 Visa Bulletin, and those cases with priority dates of August 15, 2007, or later, will be forwarded to and held by Visa Control at DOS in a "pending" file until new visas are available beginning with FY2013 on October 1, 2012. Mr. Oppenheim advises that an item in the May Visa Bulletin will address the EB-2 movement.

ICE arrests form NBA palyer

A former National Basketball Association (NBA) player and member of the Puerto Rico basketball national team for several years, was sentenced in federal court Thursday to six months in prison, nine months in a drug rehabilitation facility and four years of supervised release following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
U.S. Judge Carmen C. Cerezo sentenced Jose Ortiz-Rijos, aka Piculin Ortiz, for knowingly and intentionally possessing, with the intent to distribute, 218 marihuana plants. Ortiz-Rijos had previously pleaded guilty Nov. 4, 2011.