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Immigration News Blog

Monday, July 30, 2007

Immigrants hitting 'second wall'

Immigrants hitting 'second wall'
APM audio:
The price of U.S. citizenship goes up today. New fees nearly triple the old ones and that's creating a whole new barrier for low-wage immigrants who are playing by the rules. Dan Grech reports.

 

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Wages dip for immigrants, study says

Wages dip for immigrants, study says
Washington — The economic progress of immigrants in the United States is slowing, a trend that does not bode well for future generations, a study released Wednesday says. The trend is partly caused by a larger influx of immigrants with lower levels of education who earn less money, said the study by the Economic Mobility Project, an initiative of the nonpartisan Pew Charitable Trusts.

 

Green-card mess has employers seeing red

Green-card mess has employers seeing red
In StarTribune.com Business
A green-card fiasco this summer is calling attention to the precarious lives of tens of thousands of immigrants trying to build their futures in this country. These are workers who already have documented that there are no Americans who either can or want to do their particular jobs. Around here, their ranks include Asian scientists and engineers, Spanish-speaking social workers and a Polish welder on a North Dakota farm cooperative.

 

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Forced Labor a Growing Problem Worldwide, U.S. Officials Say

Forced Labor a Growing Problem Worldwide, U.S. Officials Say
Trafficking in persons for labor may not attract as much publicity as trafficking in persons for sex, but it is a huge problem nonetheless, officials close

 

UK: Clampdown on colleges in migrant visas scam

Clampdown on colleges in migrant visas scam
A clampdpwn was launched on bogus colleges today in an attempt to stop illegal immigrants coming to Britain to work while claiming to be students. All private colleges that recruit students from overseas will be required to register with the Home Office

 

Conn. City Offers Illegal Immigrants IDs

Conn. City Offers Illegal Immigrants IDs
Forbes, NY -
Opponents say the cards will encourage more illegal immigration. "It's going to be a welcome mat for illegal aliens to come to the region, flood the labor ...

 

Uganda: Brain Drain Hits

Uganda: Brain Drain Hits
Uganda is among African countries most hit by 'brain drain', the emigration of skilled workers to rich countries. In 2000, one in five Ugandans who finished tertiary education, or 21.6%, left for greener pastures, according to the just released report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

 

Monday, July 23, 2007

Foreign workers with skills find open door

Foreign workers with skills find open doorLos Angeles Times, CA -
By Teresa Watanabe, Times Staff Writer The decision by US immigration officials to reverse policy and open a monthlong filing window for work-based green ...

 

Grape harvester controversial symbol amid immigration debate

Grape harvester controversial symbol amid immigration debate
OregonLive.com, OR -
Then the immigration debate came to him last fall, after he sold a quarter-million-dollar machine that harvests wine grapes — the first in the Willamette ...

 

Agriculture dependent on migrant workers

Agriculture dependent on migrant workers
Driving through the Lower Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas, it is clear that whatever labor is being done on a farm -- be it driving a tractor or weeding a field -- Latinos are doing it. This is especially true for

 

For Illegal Immigrants, Promise of ID Cards Is Followed by Peril of Arrest

For Illegal Immigrants, Promise of ID Cards Is Followed by Peril of Arrest
Under his familys homemade shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe, Alan Flores, 8, spoke softly about the morning last month when federal immigration agents entered his home. It was part of a raid that has complicated, but not defeated, this citys

 

Immigration crackdown 'gonna get ugly'

Immigration crackdown 'gonna get ugly' (Baltimore Sun)
Nearly 4,000 illegal immigrants arrested nationwide this year Breaking the silence in a middle-class enclave of tract homes and cul-de-sacs, federal immigration agents recently swooped in and grabbed Sara Munoz, carting away the illegal Mexican immigrant before her five crying U.S.-born children.

 

Immigrants Try to Keep Up with Green Card Yo-Yo

Immigrants Try to Keep Up with Green Card Yo-Yo
NPR audio:
Immigrants in the U.S. on temporary visas who wish to stay permanently have another chance at a green card. In recent weeks, the government put out the notice that a new round of applications was being accepted, then the notice was rescinded. Now, the door has been opened again.

 

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Seasonal workers' future uncertain with defeat of immigration bill / Maryland's Mexican crab pickers worry that they'll lose jobs after many years

Seasonal workers' future uncertain with defeat of immigration bill / Maryland's Mexican crab pickers worry that they'll lose jobs after many years
Lopez is focused on the fluffy steamed white meat she will pick from crabs for A.E. Phillips & Son. She calculates that she will earn $10,000 to $15,000 if things go well. That's 10 times more than she'd make at any job in her dry, mountainous home of

 

The other half of the immigration equation

The other half of the immigration equation
(The Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo! News)
For all the heated debate over this summer's failed immigration reform bill, little attention has been paid to the other side of the equation: the flow of Americans out of the United States. Emigration doesn't stoke passions as illegal immigration does, but its scale and impact are significant.

 

Review of workers compensation coverage of illegal workers

Review of workers compensation coverage of illegal workers
By Peter Rousmaniere
A recent article in the quarterly journal of the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC) reviews statutes and court decisions regarding workers comp coverage of undocumented workers. I have placed the entire article below – it is part I; part II is yet to appear. The authors say that 6 states have statutes that expressly authorize coverage for these workers – CA, FL, NV. NY,TX and UT, while two states’ laws expressly do not – ID and WY. Twelve states have had court decisions in favor of coverage – IL, MI, MN, ND, OH, AL, AZ, CO, MT, NC, SC and VA. Two of these states – MI and VA – also have court decisions going the other way. Two other states have had court decisions which go against coverage -- KS and PA.

 

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Skilled Workers Win Reversal of Decision on Green Cards

Skilled Workers Win Reversal of Decision on Green Cards
Citizenship and Immigration Services reversed a government decision that prevented thousands of legal immigrants from obtaining work-based permanent visas.

 

Farmers Hurt By Lack of Immigration Reform

Farmers Hurt By Lack of Immigration Reform
(WCAX-TV Vermont)
The Vermont Farm Bureau gets support from Sen. Patrick Leahy, who says that in the aftermath of immigration reform's defeat, he'll back separate legislation focusing on farm workers and high-tech employees.

 

Southern States -- Immigration's New Battlefield (New America Media)

Southern States -- Immigration's New Battlefield (New America Media)
Hear the voices of the people in the front lines of the immigration debate.

 

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Debating Immigration: Next Steps?

Debating Immigration: Next Steps?
The Holeman Lounge The National Press Club Wednesday, July 18, 2007, 9:30 am
Presented by: The Center for Immigration Studies The Population Resource Center ...

 

Researchers call for more funds, easier immigration

Researchers call for more funds, easier immigration
EETimes.com -
REDMOND, Wash. — The US government needs to spend more money on long-term research and multi-disciplinary education and open its doors wider for ...

 

Getting Immigration Facts Straight

Getting Immigration Facts Straight
Intelligence Report, AL -
Almost every day now, it's possible to hear supposedly authoritative "facts" about illegal immigration and immigrants bandied about by ...

 

Monday, July 16, 2007

Skilled immigrants lack work

Skilled immigrants lack work
Learning how their industry works in the United States, finding out about openings, talking up their assets in a way that appeals to an American employer -- all of these can block the path between a newcomer and work that she is well-trained to perform.

 

Citywide: Raising Young Voices for Illegal Mexican Immigrants

Citywide: Raising Young Voices for Illegal Mexican Immigrants
With Washington having failed to pass an immigration overhaul, advocates are increasingly turning to immigrants’ children as allies in their political efforts.

 

Friday, July 13, 2007

The Gandhi Protests

The Gandhi Protests
BusinessWeek -
"The debate has been dominated by illegal immigration, but we want to put a spotlight on the hurdles we're facing as a hard-working and law-abiding group. ...

 

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Air France plea over deportees

Air France plea over deportees
In BBC Europe
French trade unions urge Air France to stop using its planes to deport illegal immigrants.

 

Monday, July 09, 2007

Graduates celebrate India's clout / They recall how technology institute prepared many for their roles in America

Graduates celebrate India's clout / They recall how technology institute prepared many for their roles in America
By Tom Abate
Several thousand graduates of India's elite university system gathered at the Santa Clara Convention Center Friday for an event that celebrated the growing economic and political clout of that nation's expatriates and touched on issues stemming from the...

 

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

US Wheat Farmers Face Grim Harvests as Immigration Bill Dies

US Wheat Farmers Face Grim Harvests as Immigration Bill Dies
Bloomberg
The immigration bill that was killed by the US Senate focused on the nation's 12 million illegal aliens. ...

 

Workers comp protections for illegal workers cut in New York

Workers comp protections for illegal workers cut in New York
By Peter Rousmaniere
This is what the failed immigration reform bill was intended to prevent – a bifurcation of the nation’s worker protections into two systems – one for legal, the other for illegal workers. Judges, policymakers and practitioners are aware that by weakening protections for illegal workers, long term damage to the entire system of protections happens.

 

Monday, July 02, 2007

Feds crack down on immigrant labor organizers

Feds crack down on immigrant labor organizers
American Prospect
A series of North Carolina immigration raids weren't just about deporting undocumented workers -- they were about busting unions

 

Immigration vote sinks H-1B visa deal / Collapse of Senate bill derails tech's bid for more foreigners

Immigration vote sinks H-1B visa deal / Collapse of Senate bill derails tech's bid for more foreigners
By Tom Abate
When senators killed a comprehensive immigration bill this week they derailed a last-minute compromise that would have roughly doubled the number of H-1B visas issued each year in return for reforms to prevent Americans from being pushed out of white-collar...

 

Immigration Bill Defeated; What's Next?

Immigration Bill Defeated; What's Next?
NPR audio:
Proposed immigration legislation, backed by the President, is no more after falling short of key votes in the United States Senate. But the debate on what to do next is just beginning. Representatives from two minority advocacy groups discuss the long road ahead.

 

Immigration Bill Defeated - Part II

Immigration Bill Defeated - Part II
NPR audio:
In response to President Bush's failed immigration legislation, Heather MacDonald of the Manhattan Institute discusses the future regulation of undocumented workers and the likelihood that some immigrants will self-deport.

 

Former NFL Player Fights for Retirement Benefits

Former NFL Player Fights for Retirement Benefits
NPR audio:
Bernard Parrish played for the 1964 championship for the Cleveland Browns. Today, at 71, he's fighting on behalf of retired and disabled players to get what he thought was agreed to in the early sixties for retirement and disability.

 

Illegal Immigrants Anticipate More Raids

Illegal Immigrants Anticipate More Raids
NPR audio:
Some 62 illegal immigrants in Beardstown, Ill., who worked for a company that cleans a pork processing plant, are preparing for deportation following an immigration raid. One family anticipated problems and has a house waiting in Mexico.

 

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Town rallies around innkeepers in immigration dispute

Town rallies around innkeepers in immigration dispute
Boston Globe, United States -
Three years ago, Andrew Cook and Nick Finnis, who are from Great Britain, bought the 1775 Birchwood Inn and turned it into a popular ...