Republican Sens. David Perdue of Georgia and Tom Cotton of Arkansas will unveil legislation that proposes a skills-based immigration system and seeks an overall lower level of legal immigration according to the Washington Examiner. Perdue and Cotton have called for a return to "historic" levels of permanent legal immigration. A top Senate aide with knowledge of the bill described the new plan as something that would “raise U.S. workers' wages, create jobs and make the economy more competitive”. Both senators have criticized the current immigration system in which just a small percentage of immigrants come to the U.S. because of...
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is joining Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., to try again to pass the Dream Act to provide a way for certain young immigrants who arrived or stayed in the country illegally to become legal permanent residents. The 2017 bill introduced Thursday would make young immigrants eligible for lawful permanent residence, a step toward citizenship. The immigrants must be longtime U.S. residents who are graduating from school or have a GED, or are pursuing higher education or serve in the military. They must pass background checks, show they are proficient in English and know U.S. history, and demonstrate that they...
The Department of Homeland Security announced on Monday, July 17, 2017, that it would allow fifteen thousand (15,000) more seasonal workers into the country. Generally, seasonal workers enter the country with H-2B visas which are capped at sixty-six thousand (66,000) each fiscal year. Incidentally, Texas had the highest number of H-2B jobs certified by the Department of Labor in 2015 The H-2B visa allows employers such as large farms, wineries, fisheries, and other seasonal hotels or hospitality business, to hire workers for a temporary period of time during either a peak in their business, a seasonal jump in their business,...
According to the decision by the court travel ban instituted by the executive order may go into effect “with respect to foreign nationals who lack any bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States”. But the justices “leave the injunctions entered by the lower courts in place” for individuals who can claim a direct connection with people or organizations in America. For everybody else, though, Mr. Trump’s travel ban may take effect.Hence, people living in Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen who have no “bona fide” link to America should not plan on traveling...
On June 15, 2017 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security by issuance of a memorandum rescinded the November 20, 2014 DAPA memorandum. The DAPA memorandum directed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS") "to establish a process, similar to DACA, for exercising prosecutorial discretion through the use of deferred action, on a case-by-case basis," to certain aliens who have "a son or daughter who is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident." This process was to be known as Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or "DAPA." However, the June 15, 2012 DACA memorandum will remain in...
Texas' New Immigration Crackdown Appears to Be Headed Straight to Court HuffPost reports that the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) plans to file a lawsuit in the coming months that could block Texas Senate Bill 4's implementation in September. The lawsuit will be based on pre-emption issues regarding immigration policy. On Monday, the League of United Latin American Citizens, Maverick County, and the City of El Cenizo filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas alleging that the bill violates the Tenth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit asks the court to declare...
DHS OIG, Apr. 19, 2017 – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has issued a fraud alert to warn citizens of reports that the DHS OIG Hotline telephone number has been used recently as part of a telephone spoofing scam targeting individuals throughout the country. The perpetrators of the scam represent themselves as employees with “U.S. Immigration” and can alter caller ID systems to make it appear that the call is coming from the DHS OIG Hotline telephone number (1-800-323-8603). The scammers demand to obtain or verify personally identifiable information from their victims through various...
(Release Date: April 19, 2017) WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced a redesign to the Permanent Resident Card (also known as a Green Card) and the Employment Authorization Document (EAD) as part of the Next Generation Secure Identification Document Project. USCIS will begin issuing the new cards on May 1, 2017. These redesigns use enhanced graphics and fraud-resistant security features to create cards that are highly secure and more tamper-resistant than the ones currently in use. The new redesigned Green Cards and EADs will: Display the individual’s photos on both sides; Show a unique graphic image and color...
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced on Monday April 17, 2017 that the agency received 199,000 petitions for its H-1B visa program during the first week of April 2017. This is a significant and sharp drop in the number of H-1B petitions filed with USCIS over the last two years
This week two temporary restraining orders from the U.S. District Courts in Hawaii and Maryland, halted the implementation of key parts of President Trump's revised Executive Order, issued March 6, 2017, which would temporarily ban Muslims and refugees from 6 countries from traveling to the U.S. The judges determined that it is likely that the travel bans are unconstitutional. The federal judge in Hawaii was unmoved by the changes to the original ban and found that there is a 'dearth of evidence indicating a national security purpose,' and significant evidence of discriminatory intent that violates the First Amendment. The Trump Administration...
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