Overcoming the fear of being kicked out of the country, some college-goers admitted that they have been staying in the U.S. in an illegal manner.
In a mutual immigration reform effort, the college goers participated in a rally at the Federal Plaza, admitting their undocumented status in front of everyone. They also asked people to contact Sen. Dick Durbin, D- Ill., so that he uses his power to pass Immigration reform.
The occasion of “National Coming Out of the Shadows Day” is for illegal youths to come out and speak out their undocumented status in front of everyone. The week marked the involvement of so many emotional speeches as each individual recited his or her Immigration story.
Nico Gonzalez, 23, of Pilsen, elaborated that he came to the U.S. from Mexico, when he was just 5 years old. The family came in an illegal manner. The mother died of lung cancer because she was employed in an unhygienic factory job. He went on to say that the death inspired him to fight for the immigration rights.
It has been seen that undocumented workers fail to get good jobs and end up being in unhygienic and worse conditions. Same happened with Gonzalez’s mother too.
Some officials expressed their anguish over Obama too, as he failed to implement his strategies till now. No one knows as to when this Immigration reform Bill would be introduced.
The rally served the purpose of allowing illegal immigrants speak out about their undocumented status in front of everyone and appeal for the introduction of Immigration Reform as soon as possible.
Reports say that the new comprehensive immigration bill would have regulations that would prevent the entry of undocumented workers in the country. One such implementation would be the introduction of ID Cards for overseas workers to prevent employers from recruiting undocumented and fake workers.
To be more specific, it would be mandatory to have a “NATIONAL BIOMETRIC IDENTIFICATION CARD” for all the overseas workers working for their US employers.
The proposal is in its initial stage. In addition, talks are that all the legal workers, be it the nationals or the overseas workers, would be given the ID card, provided they succeed to qualify for the necessary requirements and prove their eligibilities towards the same.
The ID card would be decked with embedded information to ensure 100% safeguard from illegal immigration. But the issue is draped with plenty of criticism too. The multinational companies, who make big profits through the aids from illegal overseas immigrants, would surely have their opposition towards this proposal, some day or the other. Do you think that these parties would let this bill pass so easily?
Some people also believe that the implementation would breach people’s privacy. The ID cards may serve as their national ID Cards too; therefore every moment could be easily tracked by the government. In addition, the government would track their working history, which in some cases, may not prove right for the general masses.
The core problem lies within the employers who hire these undocumented workers. Rather than enforcing harsh regulations on the employees, it becomes mandatory to impose stringent rules on the employers who hire illegal workers!
Visa frauds are getting common these days. Recently a man from California has been accused for operating a racket of undocumented and fake test takers who assisted many overseas applicants in attaining US Student Visas, confirmed Federal Authorities.
The gang used to assist the applicants in passing English Proficiency Examinations and in obtaining Student Visas at the later stages.
Eamonn Daniel Higgins, 46, the brain behind the ring appeared in the US District Court. In addition, 16 of clients (under doubts) are arrested for committing visa frauds. Amongst these suspects, a lady working for Higgins was illegally granted to take exam by using illegal documents and fake identity proofs.
Nothing has been confirmed as far as the backgrounds of these clients are concerned, nor has anything being said about their linkage with any sort of criminal or terrorist activities.
Debra Parker from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that the investigations have astonished the US immigration authorities. She went on to say that illegal Visas are surely one of the biggest concerns for the country and the motives of visa frauds would be further scrutinized in the upcoming weeks.
Another official from ICE confirmed that six of the arrested clients would face criminal charges while the rest of them would be deported. Remaining suspects would face further investigations.
It has been reported that the culprit has managed to grab a heavy amount of more than tens of thousands of dollars from the overseas applicants and helped them get Student Visas.
Two Florida women have been arrested last Wednesday who are alleged with running a student visa fraud ring. The defendants are charge with misleading the US government while granting student visas to over 200 overseas nationals, who were actually not students. The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida and special agent in charge for ICE Office of Investigations, Miami Field Office reported the case on Thursday.
According to the panel formed for the case, the foreign nationals who had been issued the U.S. student visas were falsely enrolled in the Florida Language Institute, 947 SW 87th Avenue. Post 9/11 attacks, it is a major issue for the nation, since many terrorists involved in the terror attack were holding students visas, but they all misused the visas. It was also reported that some attackers, including the pilot Hani Hanjour entered the U.S. as a student for language courses, but he never attended any class.
The 9/11 attacks had spread terror to such an extent that immigration officials have become very cautious and started monitoring schools that enroll overseas students as to whether they are attending their courses or not. However, the Miami case does not necessarily have to do with terror activity, but of illegal immigration.
The accused Lydia Menocal and Ofelia Macia, the school’s employees, however, defended themselves that the petitions that were signed by them were actual visa requests for the students. The investigators are trying their best to find what the foreign nationals with student visas were actually doing in the U.S.!
On Monday, president Obama held a meeting with the delegates of Domestic Policy Council to discuss the future of the comprehensive Immigration reform. The meeting with Domestic Policy Council discussed about a “blueprint: which could be further used for legislation.
Reports say that Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) may be employed for the purpose of making this blueprint. The rest of the decision would be further handled by Congress.
With so much said about this Immigration reform, reports say that the basis of this bill would be people living in the U.S. under the tag of illegal immigration. The issue was how to grant Citizenship to them, but the same would not be given too easily, confirmed the White House.
In order to get the citizenship, it is mandatory that the undocumented workers must register, pay taxes and any action to do so may lead to their deportation. Also, they will be penalized for not obeying the laws. That’s why White House confirmed that the citizenship would not be granted too easily!
The meeting also drew focus on the Immigration rally that would be performed on March 21. It will further highlight the issues required to catalyze the concerned issue further. The rally would be performed in Washington.
Obama is arrayed with so much to perform in the upcoming session. A Health Care Reform, Immigration Reform and so much to do! The clock is ticking! And we all are wondering as to when this wait would end!
A Florida Language Institute recently got involved in a huge Student Visa scandal. The owner and co-operators of the institute illegally assisted overseas nationals in getting Student Visas. The irony is that the concerned applicants never went to their classes ever!
Lydia Menocal, the Director of the institution, along with another co-worker was involved in the scandal for the past 3years! It has been speculated that the duo along with other members of the Institution made a heavy amount of $2.4 million and the money is still on the list of counting! The staff members charged this money from the overseas students applying for the Student Visas. However, it is still not clear as to how much the officials charged from each student.
It was a racket which used to work secretly and help those applicants get Student Visas who have never attended a single class. The officials at the Institute were also charged of falsifying the documentation and providing fake evidences!
In addition, almost eighty-one students have been arrested, who were trying to get Student Visas without fulfilling the mandatory requirements. The U.S. authorities have confirmed that none of the students had any links with terrorism, but investigations are going on to check their backgrounds.
U.S. Jeffrey Sloman confirmed that they still don’t know what exactly they were involved in!
Also, out of the 200 students studying in the Institution, only 5% out of them were speculated to have attended the classes.
Students studying under the F-1 Visa under Optical Practical Training will now enjoy an extended work period of 29 months. The advantage holds for students of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. Students who have not enrolled themselves in any of the STEM subjects have the freedom to work for only one year.
Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a tenure in which overseas students who have enrolled themselves in their courses for nine months or beyond that can gain work experience related to their work field. These students are not required to get work H-1B visa in order to fulfill their work requirements.
According to James W Herman, a renowned counselor, the OPT facility provides ample opportunities to students to gain ample experience in their fields. The option has assisted thousands of Indian students, especially when it comes to gaining experience in the US. It also provides additional skills linked with the field of students, which further helps them in enhancing their career perspectives.
All overseas FI-Visa holders in the US have the freedom to enroll themselves in Optional Practical Training, as it provides them with perfect opportunity to gain quality work experience, a step closer towards their brilliant career
Stats say that more than 10% of the overseas students in the US enrolled themselves in Optional Practical Training during 2008-2009 and in turn grabbed plenty of benefits out of it.
Overall, it is good news for all those students studying in the US who are planning to study in the US along with gaining work experience!
Plans to close NY’s Immigration jail has been hindered by serious medical problems faced by detainees, courtesy which it has become impossible to relocate them to another place.
It was officially announced that captives of New York’s Immigration Jail would be moved to New Jersey, in an attempt to enhance the health issues along with financial aspects of country’s detention centers. People with severe health disorders are hard to relocate from one place to another.
The Immigration jail in Varick, which was supposed to hold a small section of detainees, ended up holding hundreds and thousands of people so far. People with various health disorders including acute, mental and chronic diseases also form a huge part of these captured detainees. Flooding the detention centers would leave to plenty of problems like inadequate care of detainees, inability to take care of their health related issues, to name a few.
Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, Udi Ofer affirmed that detainees do face distresses and grievances. According to a report, (http://www.nyclu.org/publications/report-voices-varick-detainee-grievances-new-york-city%E2%80%99s-only-federal-immigration-deten) almost 210 complaints were filed by 176 captives with respect to the conditions at Varick. The complaints include inadequate medical care, wrong treatment by the staff, and grievances linked with poor diet. He went on to confirm that relocating them won’t solve the problem. Also, detainees are held for too long at the Varick, leading to their mistreatment!
Also, a jail tour by a reporter last week gave rise to a lot of questions as far as the detainee’s health problems are concerned. A lot of them faced critical health problems, starting from high blood pressure to cancer. The conditions are really poor, with thousands of detainees waiting to end their grievances!
Arizona Sheriff Joe has been accused of engaging in racial profiling, on the grounds of which a federal judge has filed a lawsuit against Sheriff’s office. According to reports, the officials are involved in demolishing the evidences that were requested in the case. Some of Sheriff’s delegates deleted the emails that had proof of patrols and records of traffic stops in the course of performing the immigration sweeps.
The lawsuit has been filed by a bunch of Latinos who claim that the traffic stops were based upon race of Hispanics rather than any legal justification. Sheriff’s officials have been given a deadline till 4th March, before which they have to recover all the destroyed evidences along with other additional proof and present them in front of Judge G. Murray Snow.
The Judge confirmed that officials were too careless and lax for not preserving the legal evidences required in the racial case. The reason is enough to sanction Arizona Sheriif and his officials.
The officials denied that they have engaged in any racial profiling and went on to justify their deeds stating that the demolishing of documents was an honest error. Dave Hendershott, Sheriff’s Chief Official stated that they are pleased to know that judge understood their honest and unintentional motive and hence they are pleased to cooperate! Sheriff Joe has earlier been involved in various Immigration controversies.
As of now, the United States is home to around eleven million illegal immigrants who are vying for the US citizenship. In spite of constant protests, the issue of immigration reform is still the hot debate. This also calls for the need of strict security measures for the undocumented immigrants making their way into the U.S. premises.
Let us scrutinize the statement by an Immigration judge, Dana L. Marks, who said that overcrowding in Immigration courts has resulted from gigantic caseload, courtesy the massive intake of undocumented immigrants.
When we talk about the Immigration courts, they are not the ones which belong to the judicial branch of government. On the contrary, judges work under the attorney general. He went on to give an example that almost 231 judges integrated an average of 1,200 cases, a situation which he termed as traffic court!
Report by the American Bar Assn. suggests that in order to abolish “public skepticism,” it is advised that the court system must be liberated from the Justice Department. The report further says that in a majority of cases, the outcomes of the proceedings count on which judge hears the case rather than the facets of the case study. The results are often inconsistent, an issue which calls the appointment of more judges in the upcoming future.
“Immigration” is seriously becoming one of the most discussed facets of Obama’s administration. With plenty of issues still left uncovered, the officials need to look at every aspect with a microscopic view!
