A Note from the Editors:

Legalization - The Stars Begin To Align

The 7 to 10 million undocumented aliens in the US represent a major social and legal crisis. The huge numbers of the undocumented stagger the imagination - nearly 1 in 30 people in America is an undocumented alien. This is not just a legal crisis, it represents a collapse of statesmanship and borders on a political/social calamity. Often, people look at this as an enforcement problem, but it is deeper than that - the problem is not just with enforcement of the law, the problem is the law itself. The law is being broken because the law itself is broken - the law on the books does not work for the real America outside of the Beltway. Immigration law, a creature of the DC elite, is out of sync with America. Immigrants across the world seek economic opportunity in their journey to America. Complementing that supply of immigrants is the need in the American economy for large numbers of immigrant labor at various levels. Unfortunately, the DC elite view immigration primarily in terms of international social work instead of the needs of the economy. Refugees, the Diversity Lottery, and above all, Family-based immigration dominate thinking and policy in government and in the numerous interest groups busy in the immigration field - both on the pro-immigration and the anti-immigration sides. Instead of being the heart of the discussion, America's desparate need for large scale Employment-based immigration is consigned to the periphery of the immigration debate. This state of affairs has made the undocumented problem into the Elephant in the Room - everyone knows about the problem, but hardly anyone wants to talk about it. However, the inevitable can only be delayed, not denied - we believe that a massive legalization program is inevitable. Recent events lead us to believe that the political stars may finally be aligning the right way for massive legalization, the Washington Times reports "All eight of the Democratic presidential contenders at [last] Thursday's debate embraced amnesty for illegal aliens now in the United States." Going into the Presidential election in 2004, it is hard to imagine President Bush not responding in some way to this initiative. When, not If, is the only issue still to be decided about a legalization program that would embrace millions. Immigration Daily will keep you informed.

Articles

The Hidden History Of Immigration: Part 2 of 3
Martin Ford examines the assimilation of the three largest European immigrant groups, Germans, Irish, and Italians, and argues that, in terms of language, religion, and group identity, today's immigrants may be adapting faster than their predecessors.

BCIS Issues Burundi TPS FAQs
The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services released a press release and FAQs on the extension of TPS for Nationals of Burundi.

BCIS Issues Sierra Leone TPS FAQs
The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services released a press release and FAQs on the extension of TPS for Nationals of Sierra Leone.

BCIS Reminds El Salvadorans To Re-register For TPS
The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services reminded eligible Salvadorans to immediately re-register for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to maintain TPS and employment authorization for the 18-month period beginning on September 9, 2003 and ending on March 9, 2005.

RICO: A New Tool For Immigration Law Enforcement
Micah King for the Center for Immigration Studies writes that recent decisions have made the RICO Act one of the most important tools in the private enforcement of US immigration law.

Using Technology To Remain Competitive
Carol L. Schlein, Esq. provides several technology tips that law firms can implement to better attract and serve their clients.

DHS Announces Unification Of Inspection Process
The Office of the Press Secretary of the White House said that the DHS announced the One Face at the Border initiative which will unify the inspection process by cross-training Customs and BorderPatrol inspectors to perform all three inspection functions.

America's Challenge: Domestic Security, Civil Liberties, And National Unity After September 11
Muzaffer A. Chishti et. al of the Migration Policy Institute provide a summary excerpt of its findings and recommendations based on one of the most comprehensive surveys conducted on September 11 detainees.

How To Win A Functional Manager Case
Gary Endelman writes "The purpose of this article is to get down and dirty, to focus solely on practice pointers that may prove useful to the creative advocate the next time a potential functional manager walks into your office."

Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 Information Sheet
Read a detailed response from the BCIS on the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000.

ILW Highlights

Processing Times Updated

Missouri processing times were recently updated.

Letters to Editors

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

Dear Editor:
With all due respect to Mr. Tancredo, and with his indulgence for bringing this to a more personal level because, after all, "immigration" is a large word which eventually whittles down to people: mothers, fathers, families. I would like to pose one question: Mr. Tancredo, how does your family come to reside in these US? Your surname doesn't seem to be Iroquois, or Cherokee, or of any Native American derivation. Surely your family didn't, ah, immigrate here?

Linda Gomez

Immigrant Life

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