Military Naturalizations at Record Levels

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS") naturalized over 11,000 members of the United States armed forces during the 2010 fiscal year. The announcement, coming on the week of Veterans' Day, indicated that this is the highest number of service members naturalized in one year since 1955. The USCIS press release quotes USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas as saying:

“As our nation’s immigration agency, USCIS makes every effort to provide members of the military and their families with exceptional access to our services. We are proud to partner with the Department of Defense in these efforts."

USCIS's commendable commitment to serving members of the military and their families is something that every member of the armed forces should know about and take advantage of if it can help them or their families. To read the USCIS press release, click here.

Bookmark this post with:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

The 11th Annual Cross-Border Crime Forum Ministerial

On November 10, 2010, officials from the United States and Canada met during the 11th annual Cross-Border Crime Forum (CBCF) Ministerial to discuss crime and border safety. The purpose of the CBCF is to enhance cooperation “on key cross-border crime and security issues,” focusing on cross-border investigations and the resulting prosecutions. Some of the issues discussed by officials include terrorism, mass-marketing fraud, and organized crime. The two nations also discussed the possibility of streamlining information sharing and enforcement efforts.

In addition to participating in the CBCF, officials from both the United States and Canada took part in the official signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Sharing of Currency Seizure Information. This MOU will create a notification protocol for both countries when border officers on either side of the U.S.-Canadian border intercept more than $10,000. This type of protocol will help identify potential threats and assist in money-laundering and terrorist-financing investigations.

To read more about the proceedings at the CBCF, please visit: http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1011/101110washington.htm

Bookmark this post with:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Twenty-Three New Immigration Judges Sworn In

On November 5, 2010 a swearing-in ceremony was held for twenty-three new Immigration Judges, increasing the number of judges serving the United States' fifty-nine Immigration Courts from 239 to 262. The ceremony was held at the headquarters of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) in Falls Church, VA. Chief Immigration Judge Brian M. O'Leary says that EOIR expects "...to further enhance the corps by additional immigration judges before the end of the calendar year." The new judges will serve courts in several states, including California, Florida, Colorado and Texas. One hopes that adding to the judicial roles in this way will help reduce the time gap between initial and final hearings. For further information, and for information on the individual judges, see:

http://www.justice.gov/eoir/press/2010/IJInvestiture11052010.pdf

Bookmark this post with:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

USCIS to Begin Bilingual Information Series

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services started this fall the first in a series of public engagement sessions that will be in Spanish. The sessions will occur each quarter, and each session will focus on a specific immigration-related topic. The sessions will be broadcast via live webinars, teleconferences, and will also include opportunities for in-person engagements. Each session will have a question-and-answer period.

The series is part of the USCIS’ continued efforts to expand its outreach to the communities they serve. Learn more about these efforts and opportunities to engage in dialogue with USCIS here: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis

Bookmark this post with:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Prisons + Profit = SB1070?

A recent story by National Public Radio details the origins of Arizona's controversial Senate Bill 1070 ("SB 1070"). According to the report, a company called Corrections Corporation of America sent executives to a meeting with Arizona state Senator Russell Pearce. Corrections Corporation of America reports reveal that the Corrections Corporation of America is aggressively pursuing the immigrant detention market and expecting a significant portion of its revenue from contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

At their meeting, the company executives and Senator Pearce discussed created a model for the bill that would months later become the finalized version of SB 1070. The NPR story reports that the sponsors of the legislation soon began to receive significant campaign donations from the same private prison corporations that had been pushing the bill.

In sum, the same corporations that will profit enormously from the increased "civil" detention of immigrants pushed and helped formulate the policy to increase instances of such detention in Arizona. This may be a good way to increase corporate profits but it sure is a vulgar way to make public policy.

Read the NPR piece here.

Bookmark this post with:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Increased USCIS Filing Fees to go Into Effect This Month

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posted a reminder on its website that the new fee schedule for application and petition fees will go into effect on November 23, 2010. All applications and petitions postmarked or filed on or after this date must include the new fee, or they will be rejected.

The new fee schedule was published on September 24, 2010. Filing fees will increase by an average of 10%. To view a complete schedule of fees, which includes the existing fees and the new fees that will take effect on November 23, please visit:

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=92c5e116de9eb210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=68439c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

Bookmark this post with:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•