A Note from the Editors:

Medicare And Immigration In 2004

Presidential advisor Karl Rove is busy crafting a strategy to re-elect President Bush in 2004. Since national elections are most often won and lost neither on the right nor on the left, but in the political center, this center is central to Karl Rove's strategy. That is, the President will need a key and visible non-conservative policy issue to portray a moderate image. Notwithstanding the fact that most of the President's campaign plank may well be a right-wing conservative agenda, a high-profile defining issue from the middle-of-the-road could project a centrist, moderate image. Prior to 9/11, immigration was that centrist issue. Currently, it appears that the President has made Medicare an effective replacement for immigration. However, the die is not fully cast yet, and things could change over the summer and early fall. If the President's Medicare plan gets bogged down in Conference, immigration still could be the fall-back that Mr. Rove may be holding open as a viable option for the President's re-election strategy. This may account for the fact that the White House, through Press Secretary Fleischer, has kept up a steady, if muted, barrage of unprovoked pro-immigration statements. We believe that while immigration is no longer Plan A at the White House for 2004, it is still Plan B. In the face of the downturn in business that immigration lawyers currently face, we continue to believe that the tide will turn, and the only question is when, not if.

We welcome readers to share their opinion and ideas on this topic with us by writing to weeklyeditor@ilw.com.

Articles

Staying Out Of Harm's Way: Immigration Pitfalls That Employment Lawyers And Their Clients Should Avoid: Part 1 of 3
Angelo A. Paparelli and John C. Valdez provide an overview of the immigration consequences of a variety of employment decisions.

Two Supreme Court Decisions May Create Favorable Climate For Immigrants
Cyrus D. Mehta writes "Two landmark Supreme Court decisions earlier this week may facilitate a better climate for diversity in the US, which in turn could lead to a more favorable attitude toward immigrants in the long run."

EOIR Updates List Of Suspended And Expelled Practitioners
The Executive Office for Immigration Review of the Department of Justice updated its list of Suspended and Expelled Practitioners.

Cross Border Couples And Bridge Weddings
The Los Angeles Daily reports "Rather than battle the seemingly formidable paperwork to allow Galvan to cross to the US to marry, the couple decided to do as many here have done: tie the knot in what is essentially a no man's land, the 200-foot patch of land just north of the bridge and south of the US Customs building."

A Critical Look At BCIS'/DOS' Interpretations Of The CSPA: Part 1 of 2
Alan Lee, Esq. examines eligibility under section 204 of the Immigration & Nationality Act for the benefits of the Child Status Protection Act in light of recent interpretations by the BCIS and the DOS.

Monserrat Designation Under TPS Extended
The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) annonced the extension of the designation of Montserrat for Temporary Protected Status effective August 27, 2003 thru August 27,2004. The 60-day re-registration period begins July 1, 2003, and will remain in effect until September 2, 2003.

BICE Says Accused Human Smuggler And Financier Extradited To US
The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE) announced today that an accused human smuggler and financier had been extradited from Hong Kong to the US. "It may have taken ten years to get Cheng into a US court for smuggling thousands of Chinese migrants but that only demonstrates BICE's resolve to identify, investigate, locate and bring to prosecution those who traffick in human beings," said Michael J. Garcia, Acting Assistant Secretary for BICE.

9,500 New Americans To Be Inducted At 50 Naturalization Ceremonies Nationwide, Kicks Off Weeklong Citizenship Celebration
The Department of Homeland Security issued a press release launching a weeklong celebration of the Nation's independence that highlights the importance of legal immigration and citizenship. Secretary Ridge said, "Welcoming new citizens to the US is one of the most important things that we do as a nation. Immigrants invigorate our national spirit and reinforce the ideals and principles that are the foundation of our great nation."

Secretary Ridge Says Talks With Mexico On Migration Pact Could Restart Soon
The New York Times reports "The Department of Homeland Security head Tom Ridge said Monday Mexico's collaboration with Washington on drugs, terrorism and other issues could pave the way for talks on a migration pact to re-start soon."

A Critical Look At BCIS'/DOS' Interpretations Of The CSPA: Part 2 of 2
Alan Lee, Esq. examines eligibility under section 204 of the Immigration & Nationality Act for the benefits of the Child Status Protection Act in light of recent interpretations by the BCIS and the DOS.

1913 Law Blocking Asian Immigrants From Owning Land Never Repealed In Florida And New Mexico
The Miami Herald reports "A dozen states that had passed the anti-Asian land laws in the Jim Crow era have since repealed these anachronistic remnants of discrimination. Only Florida and New Mexico retain Alien Land Laws, leading to unseemly references."

How Do I Extend My Stay in the US?
Read a comprehensive answer from BCIS on how to extend your stay in the US.

ILW Highlights

Discussion Board Update

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Letters to Editors

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

Dear Editor:
Since last week Apple's own browser "Safari" is available. After opening the same pages on the same network connection on Explorer 6.0 and Safari simultanously we will only use Safari from now on, is is a fantastic piece of software. However, since it strictly adheres to the internet standards (W3C-compliance) it becomes utmost important to make webpages accessible for Safari and tell all programmers to adhere to internet standards and not to Microsoft standards.

Rainer Berghoff

Immigrant Life

What is the college application process?

Each school sets its own admission requirements. The college admission process consists of application forms, admission tests and essays. Colleges make admission decisions, based on academic achievement, admission test scores and applications. The academic section is generally the most important but not the only deciding factor.

Why is the college application process important?

Every student must participate in the application process to be considered for admission. The application process is the only way to get admission to colleges or universities in the USA.

Continued.

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