A Note from the Editors:

Morality, FB2A, And The Bishops

One of the articles' today "Strange No More: The Bishops Finally Endorse Marriage In Immigration Law" is by Paul Donnelly who was press secretary for the House Immigration Subcommittee chair in 1990, and Communications Director for the Jordan Commission throughout the mid-1990s. As a participant in the back-room discussions which shaped IMMACT90 and IIRIRA, he takes us behind the scenes to show us how our nation ended up with the ridiculous concept of the Family-Based 2A (FB2A) quota which separates nuclear families - spouses and little children. Among his points:

• Every sibling admitted is somebody’s wife or child, who does not get admitted. I love my five brothers and four sisters, but I LIVE with my wife and son: and there isn’t a culture on earth which does not recognize that the obligation between husbands and wives, parents and small children, is vastly more morally important in every way than any other filial responsibility. Period.
• And yet – no faith-based group stood up for immigrant marriages. Not one – not the Catholic Bishops, nor the Family Research Council, the Christian Coalition: as in 1990, no family group spoke up for the moral priority of marriage in immigration law at a key moment of a legislative battle. Indeed, the Christian Coalition played a key role in defeating the House version of the Commission’s proposal in the spring of 1996.
• It is an enduring mystery of immigration lobbying why faith-based groups don’t communicate more forcefully, indeed communicate at all, how many spouses of legal permanent residents are also the mothers of U.S. citizens, and yet remain illegal aliens.
• Marriage is marriage. It is unclear why the Catholic bishops of Mexico and the United States would make a moral distinction between the marriages of Mexican-Americans, and those of green card holders who marry someone born in China or India.
• It is simply immoral and unAmerican, but perhaps most of all impractical, to expect that husbands and wives and small children will live for long in different countries.

We believe that the limitation of a quota for FB2A is immoral, the nuclear family should never be separated, and entries of nuclear families should never be subject to any quota. In order to achieve this goal, it may be necessary, politically, to do away with all the other family-based quotas in toto, and abolish them entirely, along with the diversity lottery, and also freeze refugee admissions for many years (since most family entrants come to our shores to pursue economic opportunity, they should enter under employment-based quotas, and not family-based quotas). However painful these steps might be, the moral argument against the FB2A is sufficient to justify taking extreme steps. We hope Congress will take action on this urgently needed moral measure.

We welcome readers to send their comments to weeklyeditor@ilw.com.

Articles

The H-1B Series: Part 4 of 6 (Encore)
George N. Lester IV offers Part 4 of his comprehensive look of the H-1B program.

Japanese Interment Was Justified Says Rep. Coble
CNN.COM reports "Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C., who heads the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, said on a radio call-in program Tuesday that he agreed with the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. "

Special Registration: One Man's Odyssey
Carl Shusterman writes about one man's week-long experience with Special Registration.

American Health Care Would Suffer Without Immigration
The St. Petersburg Times (of St. Petersburg, FL) reports "Most of the doctors practicing here came from outside the United States. Without that diversity, the quality and availability of health care would suffer."

"Stealth" Provision of Homeland Security Act Ends Funding for Asylum and Refugee Processing
Carl R. Baldwin writes about the effect of Section 457 of the Homeland Security Act on asylum and refugee processing.

Microsoft To Offer Free Legal Help
The Seattle Times reports "Foreigners detained in Washington on immigration violations will be provided free legal help under a plan announced yesterday by the American Bar Association and Microsoft, which decried the "dire situation that immigrants face in the United States today."

Strange No More: The Bishops Finally Endorse Marriage In Immigration Law
Paul Donnelly writes "It is simply immoral and unAmerican, but perhaps most of all impractical, to expect that husbands and wives and small children will live for long in different countries."

Intel Made Possible By Immigrants
In an opinion piece on CNET.COM, attorney Ronald Zisman says "If you have any doubts about the contribution of foreign workers to the U.S. economy, let me mention a few names: Andy Grove, Les Vadasz, Dov Frohman, Federico Faggin, Masatoshi Shima, Jean-Claude Cornet, Vinod Dham and Avtar Saini. Citizens from Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, France and India, all were instrumental in creating a $20-billion-dollar company. I'm sure you can guess the name."

US Army Recruiter's Family Destroyed By Immigration Law
The San Antononio Express-News reports on the destruction of the family of a US Army recruiter by the immigration laws.

Reopening Deportation Proceedings: A Look At Applicable Exceptions To Motions To Reopen
Andrew Knapp, Esq. writes how a closer look at the individual circumstances of a client's case may uncover exceptions to the general time and number limits on motions to reopen.

How Do I Remove the Conditions on Permanent Residence Based on Marriage?
Read comprehensive answer from INS on how conditions on a greencard granted within less two years of marriage can be removed.

ILW Highlights

New Seminar On Healthcare Professionals

ILW.COM is pleased to announce a new seminar series "Representing Doctors, Nurses And Other Health Professionals - New Issues For New Times." Many distinguished speakers will be announced soon. The curriculum for this seminar series is as follows:

FIRST Phone Session on February 28: Current issues in physician immigration

1. Waiver options for international medical graduates
   • Current status of the State 30 waiver program
   • Goodbye USDA, hello HHS: federal shortage waivers
   • The elusive VA waiver
   • Dealing with changes in employment
2. Other issues for immigration physicians
   • The NIW for underserved area: updates from the lawsuit
   • Labor certifications - for residents?
   • Restrictions on O-1 eligibility for clinicians

SECOND Phone Session on March 28: Current immigration issues for allied health care workers

1. How do I recruit nurses?
2. Nurses and H-1B's - Doesn't the INS allow that now?
3. Nurses for shortage areas (or does H-1C really work?
4. Dentists, chiropractors and others called "Doctor"
5. Pharmacists
6. PTs, OTs, and other therapists
7. Medical technologists
8. Specialty Occupation issues for allied health professionals
9. What's this "Visa Screen" anyway?
10. Permanent residence isues and options

THIRD Phone Session on April 28: Inside the letters: ECFMG and CGFNS

1. Role of credentialling agencies in health care immigration
2. Testing and timeframes
3. Guiding applicants through the process
4. Participation guidelines for ECFMG programs
5. CGFNS: it's not just nurses anymore

For more info, including detailed curriculum, speaker bios, and registration information online, click here.
For more info, including detailed curriculum, speaker bios, and registration information by fax, click here.

Letters to Editors

To write to Editors, send emails to weeklyeditor@ilw.com.

None this week

Immigrant Life

What was the median income in 2001 for Hispanic households?

• $28,995
• $30,200
• $33,565

This week's chat schedule

When	Attorney
Monday, February 17 8:00 pm Eastern Time	No chat
Wednesday, February 19 8:00 pm Eastern Time	Chris Musillo, Esq.
Friday, February 21 8:00 pm Eastern Time	Fariba Faiz

Classifieds

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