Immigration Law

Immigrant Crackdown, But More Temps

Updated: An effort to get Congress to pass an immigration bill promoted by the White House failed this year. So the executive branch is trying again. An enhanced program of government enforcement against employers who hire illegal immigrants was announced by the Bush administration today. Employers who ignore immigration laws…

Aug 10, 2007 4:15 PM CDT

Fire Illegal Workers, Or Else

Employers will need to start paying attention when they receive a so-called no-match letter informing them that a worker’s Social Security number doesn’t match his name. Under rules expected to be issued this week, employers will have to clear up any clerical error or fire the worker within a fixed…

Aug 8, 2007 12:38 PM CDT

Immigration Laws Increasing

States adopted 170 immigration laws through June of this year, more than double the number in the same period last year. A report by the National Conference of State Legislatures says most of the laws took an anti-immigrant stance, the New York Times reports. Laws cracked down on employers who…

Aug 6, 2007 1:32 PM CDT

Detainee Legal Rights Threatened

A federal judge has found that some Salvadoran detainees aren’t getting access to legal materials, phones and lawyers. Because of those violations, Judge Margaret Morrow of Los Angeles refused to lift a 1988 injunction requiring the government to advise Salvadorans of their rights to apply for legal asylum and to…

Aug 1, 2007 12:05 PM CDT

Raids Dividing Immigrant Families

As federal authorities amp up their efforts to enforce immigration laws, some immigrant families are facing a tough choice. Children born in this country are U.S. citizens and have a right to live here. But if their non-citizen parents are here illegally, the adults have to decide whether to leave…

Jul 30, 2007 6:17 PM CDT

Congress OKs Few Green-Card Pleas

Thirty-six bills granting permanent residency to specific illegal aliens have won approval in Congress since 1996, but Malik Jarno wasn’t among the lucky ones. Jarno’s lawyers say he is a mentally retarded orphan whose parents were killed for opposing the government in Guinea. He flew to the United States as…

Jul 30, 2007 5:33 PM CDT

HS Deportation Case: 1,500 Lobbyists

In less than a week, the government’s attempt to deport a star graduate of a Miami high school has provided an unexpected civics lesson that has turned some 1,500 friends and well-wishers into lobbyists. With the help of money from their college funds and Internet posts seeking support, friends of…

Jul 30, 2007 5:21 PM CDT

Top HS Grad, 18, Jailed for Deportation

When Juan Gomez graduated from high school in Miami this year, everyone he knew expected great things of him. The 18-year-old reportedly is one of the most stellar students ever to attend Killian High—a popular football player, he also graduated among the top 20 in his 780-student class and earned…

Jul 27, 2007 7:44 PM CDT

Judge Voids Hazleton Immigration Law

In a ruling with national implications, a federal judge in Pennsylvania today struck down a controversial Hazleton municipal ordinance that would have imposed hefty fines on businesses for hiring illegal immigrants and landlords for renting to them. The ordinance was unconstitutional, ruled U.S. District Judge James M. Munley, because it…

Jul 26, 2007 9:38 PM CDT

New Haven First: Illegal Immigrant IDs

Taking an alternative approach to a deluge of illegal immigrants that has prompted some municipalities to crack down, a large college town in Connecticut is instituting a controversial first-in-the-nation program to offer them identification cards. Starting tomorrow, illegal immigrants in New Haven can get city-issued ID cards that will let…

Jul 23, 2007 7:03 PM CDT

US Citizens Move for Foreign Partners

Tim Miller has met his life partner. The problem is, the couple can’t live happily ever after here in the U.S. That’s because his partner, Alistair McCartney, is not only gay but an Australian citizen. Even if the two establish residency in one of the handful of states that allows…

Jul 16, 2007 10:22 PM CDT

Hang-Up Limits Detainee Lawyer Access

Faulty phone systems and outdated phone numbers are barring immigration detainees from calling their lawyers, according to a report by Government Accountability Office. Detainees are not permitted access to public defenders and don’t have other protections available to criminal defendants. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has nonetheless agreed to…

Jul 13, 2007 9:02 PM CDT

UK Considers Citizen Travel Restrictions

Concerned about possible terrorism-related visits abroad by immigrants and British citizens, U.K. officials are considering imposing a ban on travel to certain countries by convicted criminals. In the wake of ongoing terrorist incidents, including recent failed attempts by a group comprised largely of immigrant physicians to blow up fuel-laden cars…

Jul 12, 2007 7:32 PM CDT

Persecuted Gays Winning Asylum

Legal advocacy groups have won dozens of cases on behalf of gay men and lesbians seeking asylum here for persecution in their home countries. Harassment because of sexual orientation is increasingly accepted as a ground for asylum, the Washington Post reports, although such cases are by no means a slam…

Jul 10, 2007 3:47 PM CDT

US Doesn’t Deport Most Foreign Criminals

Recent reports of government raids on companies that employ illegal immigrants and families split up when a non-citizen member living in the U.S. is forced to return to his or her home country focus on foreigners who, for the most part, haven’t committed crimes except for living here illegally. But…

Jul 6, 2007 11:37 PM CDT