Dear Mr. Smith, Our Broken Immigration System Requires Solutions that Embrace Discretion, Not Eliminate It - (07.15.11)
Over the last six months, Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX), along with other members of the House Judiciary Committee, have engaged in an all-out effort to turn back the clock on our immigration...

House Committee Takes Up Bills That Would Indefinitely Detain Immigrants and Eliminate Diversity Visas - (07.15.11)
In the absence of a federal immigration overhaul, state lawmakers have attempted—many in vain—to address immigration at the state-level. Equally misguided, however, are recent efforts by immigration r...

Understanding CIR - (07.08.11)
On June 22, Senator Menendez and six other senators introduced an immigration reform bill. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) Act of 2011 (S. 1258) seeks to curb illegal immigr...

In Congress -Trafficking Bill Reauthorization - (07.08.11)
On June 29, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) of 2011 was introduced in the Senate. This bill will renew the Trafficking Victim Protection Act (TVPA) of 20...

July 1, 2011 H-1B Cap Count - (07.08.11)
As of July 1, 2011, approximately 18,400 H-1B cap-subject petitions were receipted. Additionally, USCIS has receipted 11,900 H-1B petitions for aliens with advanced degrees.

The Administration Speaks Out in Strons Support of Dream Act - (07.08.11)
This week, top Administration officials testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Border Security and an audience of nearly 400 individuals during the first-ever...

Mexican man convicted of using US citizen ID and passport to smuggle methamphetamine into US - (07.08.11)
MCALLEN, Texas - A Mexican man was convicted on Wednesday of smuggling methamphetamine, and misusing a U.S. citizen passport during his smuggling attempt. The conviction was announced by U.S. Attorney...

Reno Designates Gay Asylum Precedent - (06.28.11)
In the following June 16, 1994, memo, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno designated as precedent the Board of Immigration Appeals decision In Re Fidel Armando Toboso-Alfonso, which granted asylum to a g...

Adjudication of Petitions and Applications Filed by or on Behalf of, or Document Requests by, Transsexual Individuals - (06.28.11)
To: REGIONAL DIRECTORS SERVICE CENTER DIRECTORS DISTRICT DIRECTORS, INCLUDING OVERSEAS DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS From: William R. Yates /s/ Associate Director for Operations U.S. Citiz...

Sen. McCain Blames Unauthorized Immigrants for Arizona Wildfires - (06.24.11)
During a press conference Saturday, Sen. McCain blamed undocumented immigrants for the devastating wildfires sweeping through Arizona and southern states, suggesting they started fires to “divert law ...

Sen. Menendez Introduces Comprehensive Alternative to Enforcement-Only Immigration Legislation - (06.24.11)
While some in Congress continue attempts to enforce a way out of our immigration problems, others, like Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), are offering balanced solutions that address not just on...

ICE arrests over 2,400 convicted criminal aliens, fugitives in enforcement operation throughout all 50 - (06.24.11)
WASHINGTON – As part of the Obama administration's ongoing commitment to prioritizing the removal of criminal aliens that threaten public and national security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforceme...

New Regulations for J-1 Visa - Summer Work Travel - (06.24.11)
Question Taken at the June 20, 2011 Daily Press Briefing Q: Please provide details on the specific aspects of the new regulations for J-1 visas. What is the intention of these new regulations? Are we ...

May 20, 2011 H-2B Cap Count - (06.03.11)
As of 5/20/11, USCIS receipted 27,788 petitions toward the 33,000 H-2B cap amount for the first half of the fiscal year. This count includes 25,975 approved and 1,813 pending petitions.

June 1, 2011 H-2B Cap Count - (06.03.11)
As of 6/1/11, USCIS receipted 28,201 petitions toward the 33,000 H-2B cap amount for the second half of the fiscal year. This count includes 26,655 approved and 1,546 pending petitions.

Administration Uses Executive Authority to Keep Educated Grads in U.S. Longer - (06.03.11)
By H. Bob Sakaniwa, American Immigration Lawyer’s Association. As President Obama indicated in an immigration speech in El Paso, Texas, earlier this month, in a global marketplace, the United States n...

Controversy Over Deportation of Haitians Continues - (06.03.11)
Last week, CBS refused to display an advertisement on its Jumbotron in Times Square denouncing the deportation of Haitians because it was too controversial. Deportations to a cholera-plagued and earth...

New York Looking to End Participation in Secure Communities Program - (06.03.11)
Yesterday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo suspended his state’s participation in the Secure Communities program. In a letter to DHS, Gov. Cuomo wrote that the Secure Communities program is “having the...

Hill Update: House Considers Immigration Amendments in Appropriations Bill - (06.03.11)
This week, the House of Representatives is considering the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, H.R 2017—which is, of course, a golden opportunity for lawmakers to attempt to tack on immigration ame...

States that Passed Arizona-style Immigration Laws Now Face Costly, Uphill Legal Battles - (06.03.11)
Despite repeated warnings from business groups, tourism and industry boards and advocates about the hefty price tag attached to Arizona-style legislation, state lawmakers continued to push “get tough”...