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ICE IN THE SUMMER? DHS Issues "Worksite Enforcement" Fact Sheet.
The Department of Homeland Security ("DHS")
has issued a FACT SHEET about "Worksite
Enforcement" which highlights recent ICE
enforcement efforts targeting businesses
that employ undocumented immigrants. The
businesses targeted range from temporary
employment agencies, to textile, construction
and food processing plants.
To
read the Fact Sheet, click here . . .
NO-MATCH
RULE TO BECOME FINAL: Safe-Harbor
Procedures for Employers Who Receive a
No-Match Letter.
The Final Rule describes the legal
obligations of an employer, under current
immigration law, when the employer receives a
no-match letter from the Social Security
Administration ("SSA") or receives a letter
regarding employment verification forms from
the DHS. It also describes the ''safe-harbor''
procedures that an employer can follow in
response to such a letter and thereby be
certain that the DHS will not use the letter
as any part of an allegation that the
employer had constructive knowledge that the
employee referred to in the letter was an
alien not authorized to work in the United
States.
To
read the rule, click here . . .
Judge
Issues Order After Lawsuit Is Filed by
AFL-CIO, ACLU, and National Immigration Law
Center
A federal judge today issued an order
temporarily blocking the government from
implementing a new DHS rule that would cause U.S.
citizens and other authorized workers to lose
their jobs, and which would illegally use
error-prone social security records as a tool
for immigration enforcement. The Judge's
order also stops the SSA from beginning to send
notices on Tuesday to approximately 140,000
employers across the country notifying them
of the new rule, which would impact
approximately eight million workers.
To read the Complaint, click here . . .
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Dear Readers:
The restful August that we hoped for never
came. Hot on the heels of the announcement
about the No-Match regulation becoming final
in September, the Department of Homeland
Security ("DHS"), Immigration and Customs
Enforcement ("ICE") continued its sweeps. The
AFL-CIO filed a lawsuit in
Federal Court to block the No-match rule and
(for now) the lawsuit seems to be effective.
The possibility of Comprehensive Immigration
Reform ("CIR") appears to be "dead on the
vine" for the remainder of 2007. However,
the underpinnings of the previously proposed
CIR legislation are being handled in a
piecemeal fashion by Congress (and now also
by the States). In early September, several
members of our Canadian Division will journey
to Montreal, Canada, and will meet with the
Directors of CBP, the Vermont Service Center,
the Nebraska Service Center, and the U.S.
Consulate General in Montreal. In late
September, several members of our staff will
journey to Washington D.C. to meet with
Officials from DHS, CIS, ICE, CBP, SSA, OSC
and the U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ")
about Employment Eligibility Verification,
No-Match regulations, and Immigration-related
Employment Discrimination. Having been
awarded a Federal Grant from the DOJ to train
employers about Immigration-related
Employment Discrimination, we hope to
continue to share great information with our
readership. Of course, if you, or any member
of your staff, is interested in further
information about the immigration law arena,
please feel free to e-mail us at info@visaserve.com.
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| IF YOU ARE NOT IN IT THEN YOU CAN'T WIN IT: DV-2009 Lottery Instructions. |
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The DV-2009 Lottery online entry begins at
Noon EDT on October 3, 2007, and ends at Noon
EST on December 2, 2007. Information and
instructions for the DV-2009 lottery will
appear on the U.S. Department of State
("DOS") website, as soon as possible. Please
check the DOS webpage at a later time for
Diversity Visa Lottery information updates.
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To link to the DOS website, click here . . . |
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| GET YOUR NEW GREEN CARDS: CIS Proposes New Green Cards to Replace Those Without an Expiration Date. |
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CIS proposed a rule to terminate the validity
of Permanent Resident Cards (Form I-551)
without an expiration date and to establish a
120 day period to apply for a replacement.
The application for a replacement will
include biometrics and background checks.
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To read the CIS Press Release, click here . . . |
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| EASY OR DIFFICULT "ACCESS": ICE Announces ACCESS Program to Foster Local Law Enforcement Partnerships. |
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ICE recently announced ACCESS, a new program
to foster partnerships with local law
enforcement. Under this program ICE is
offering assistance to Local Law Enforcement
Officials with Immigration Enforcement.
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To read the ICE ACCESS Press Release, click here . . . |
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| NEW JERSEY STATE INITIATIVE ON CRIMINAL IMMIGRANTS: New Jersey Attorney General Issues 287(g) Directive. |
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Attorney General Anne Milgram issued a
Directive to State Law Enforcement Agencies
regarding their relationship with Federal
Immigration Authorities. Milgram said local
police must inquire about immigration status
after an officer has arrested an individual
on serious criminal charges, and shall notify
ICE, the prosecuting agency, and the court if
there is a reason to believe that the
arrestee may be an undocumented immigrant.
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To read The 287(g) Directive, click here . . . |
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| UPGRADES TO THE BASIC PILOT? Basic Pilot Re-Branded as "E-Verify". |
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The Basic Pilot Program has been re-branded
"E-Verify". The E-Verify program will be
launching new and exciting changes later next
month, such as photograph screening features
and online resources for employees.
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Click Here for More Information about the E-Verify Program . . . |
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| KOCH FOODS ON ICE: ICE Press Release on the Koch Foods Raid. |
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE")
has issued a Press Release about the recent
raid on Koch Foods in Fairfield, Ohio. More
than 160 employees were arrested for
immigration violations.
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To read the ICE Press Release, click here . . . |
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| STATE INITIATIVES ON WHITI: Arizona Teams with DHS on WHTI. |
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DHS and the State of Arizona have agreed to
partner on efforts that will potentially
enhance the security of the state driver's
license to meet Western Hemisphere Travel
Initiative ("WHTI") requirements and provide
Arizona employers with a secure document that
can be used in validating a person's legal
status and align to satisfy future
requirements of REAL ID.
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To read the DHS Press Release, click here . . . |
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| NEXUS ONLINE: CBP Launches An Online Application for Cross-Border Travel Program. |
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection ("CBP")
announced that cross-border travelers wishing
to apply for Nexus privileges are now able to
do so through a new, online application
system. Nexus is a popular, joint frequent
traveler program with Canada where applicants
voluntarily undergo a background check,
in-person interview and fingerprinting, and
pay a $50.00 (five-year) membership fee.
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To read to CBP Release about NEXIS, click here . . . |
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| DOL IS LOOKING FOR FRAUD: DOL Creates An E-mail Address for "Substitutions Plus" Rule Violation Reports. |
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On August 2, 2007 the U.S. Department of
Labor ("DOL") published a notice on the
creation of an e-mail address for the
reporting of potential violations and
non-compliance with the "substitutions plus"
rule.
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To read the DOL Alert, click here . . . |
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| TPS EXTENDED FOR SALVADORIANS: DHS Extends TPS For El Salvador Nationals Through March, 2009. |
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DHS extended temporary protected status for
eligible El Salvador nationals through March
9, 2009. Given the timeframes involved with
processing TPS
re-registrants, DHS recognizes that
re-registrants may not receive a new EAD
until after their current EAD expires on
September 9, 2007. Accordingly, the Federal
Register Notice automatically extends the
validity of EADs issued under the TPS
designation of El Salvador for 6 months,
through March 9, 2008, and explains how TPS
beneficiaries and their employers may
determine which EADs are automatically
extended.
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To read the Press Release, click here . . . |
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| IN THE ARMY NOW: CIS Announces a Toll-free Helpline. |
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CIS recently announced that members of the
U.S. military (and their families) are now able
to call a toll-free helpline for assistance
with CIS benefits.
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To read the CIS Announcement, click here . . . |
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