NEWS BYTES A Spanish flamenco dancer is suing the INS for $2.5 million because of the treatment he received at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. On September 8, Antonio Canales was passing through the US on his way from a performance in Mexico to give another in Italy. He claims that when he went through Customs, he was stopped, handcuffed, stripped and beaten. He did not have a visa, having been told that he would not need one because he was eligible to enter under the Visa Waiver Pilot Program. When he was not able to present a visa, he was taken to a room and handcuffed to a table. He claims that he was then stripped and robbed of $400. He says he was verbally harassed and that when he started to get upset, he was hit in the face.
*********
This November Arizona will vote on Proposition 203, a measure that would end bilingual education programs and create English immersion programs for students who are not proficient in English. Along with immigrant children, mostly Spanish speaking, if passed the measure would also end programs that teach Native American students their tribal languages. The ballot measure is being financed almost exclusively by Ron Unz, the Silicon Valley businessman who financed a similar measure to end bilingual education in California. While the measure addresses only education, it has become a magnet for many immigration-related issues. Educators in the state are concerned that people will vote on the measure based on their opinions on illegal immigration rather than education.
*********
The California General Assembly has passed a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants in the process of legalizing their status to obtain drivers licenses. Gov. Gray Davis has not yet decided whether he will sign the bill, and legislators who passed the bill are urging him to sign it. In 1994 California ended its practice of allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain drivers licenses, declaring that only permanent residents could get one. Supporters of the bill consider it a public safety measure, as many people drive without licenses, but because they do not have a license, they cannot get insurance.
*********
San Mateo County, California will be the first county in the state to offer an innovative program designed to teach minor offenders from other countries about the US legal system. Called “How to Live in America,” the program was first used in Colorado two years ago. It was created by Gustavo Heredia, an immigrant from Argentina who has worked as a court interpreter for nine years. There he saw the same people over and over, for the same offenses. Heredia says it was not that they didn’t know they were breaking the law, but that they didn’t realize how harsh the penalties were. No start date has yet been set for the new program, but judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys say they expect it to be a great success. In the Colorado county where the program was first introduced, the number of Hispanic drunk driving offenders has dropped by 40%.
*********
As the investigation into a scandal involving Chicago police officers accused of extorting money from Polish immigrants grows, the police department is calling on the Polish community to come forward with any information they have that might bear on the investigation. So far 11 officers have been linked to the scam, but as of yet no charges have been filed. The police are alleged to have waited outside Polish bars and nightclubs, stopping drivers with “PL" stickers on their cars or with ladders, a sign they are in construction. Because many contractors work in cash, the police would threaten them with deportation if they did not pay.
*********
In our September 8, 2000 newsletter, we wrote about the new $50 fee that ten consulates are charging for processing the I-864 Affidavit of Support. See http://www.visalaw.com/00sep2/4sep200.html. One of our readers, Laura Cecere, who deals extensively with adoptions at the Guangzhou Consulate, one of the ten listed, was not familiar with this new requirement, and did some investigating on her own. She was told that the $50 fee is not being charged in adoption cases at any consulates. The reason for this is that adoption cases are not processed through the National Visa Center, which does do initial processing of applications for the ten consulates that are charging the fee. So the $50 fee does not apply to any adoption case, regardless of where the application is filed. Laura has also kindly offered to make herself available to readers with adoption related questions. She can be reached at cecere@law.harvard.edu.
*********
Two Mexican immigrants were severely beaten by two white men who lured them to an abandoned location with promises of work. The incident occurred in Farmingville, New York, where tensions have been on the rise as Hispanic immigrants move into the predominantly white community. The local council just recently defeated a bill that would have required the city to file suit against the government to force the INS to begin raids in the town. Police are treating the incident as a hate crime, saying the attack appeared to be well planned.
*********
Blanca Echeverri, a Mexican author of children’s books, has finally been allowed to return to the US. Married to a Colombian national who is a permanent resident and mother of two US citizens, Echeverri was deported on Christmas Eve of 1999. For years she had been staying in the US on a tourist visa, having it renewed every six months. She was approved for another tourist visa last spring, but she did not want to use it because of her previous experience. She will now be reentering the US on a student visa.
*********
This week there was a meeting between Mexican and US groups concerned about border issues. The meeting focused on environmental issues, and among the speakers were representatives from the US Environmental Protection Agency and Mexico’s Environmental, Natural Resources and Fisheries ministry. Officials from state and provincial governments also made presentations. The meeting was part of the Border 21 Program, a binational effort to bring together US and Mexican environmental agencies so that they can jointly develop plans to address environmental and developmental issues on the border.
*********
A Russian national who was once employed by the US Consulate in St. Petersburg, Russia was convicted this week in Chicago of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Igor Galitskiy was found guilty of assisting five Russians to obtain visas under the pretext that they were to be attending a food marketing convention in Chicago. According to prosecutors, the plan was for the Russians to work illegally in the US. One woman testified that she paid $5000 to a travel agency that guaranteed she would get a visa. They told her that if she had any problems at the consulate to ask for Galitskiy.
*********
A former substitute teacher in Colorado Springs, Colorado recently pled guilty to helping 47 people obtain US visas fraudulently. Martin Hoskins was paid $88,000 by the applicants, and in exchange made false statements about the purpose of the visit to the US. He told officials that they would be learning about the US educational system, when in fact, he knew this was not the case.
*********
At his own request, Jason Johnson has been discharged from the US Marines. Johnson is married to Meriam Al Khalifa, a member of the Bahraini royal family. He gave her fraudulent military documents to enter the US and was dropped in rank to private first class. Meriam is currently facing charges of fraudulent documents to enter the US.
*********
Immigrant advocacy groups in New York are calling for a federal investigation into accusations that poll workers interfered with voting during a recent Democratic primary. Among the charges is the claim that workers turned away many recent Russian immigrants who had voter registration cards.
*********
Following complaints from Mexican and Polish immigrants in Chicago that police routinely violated their rights, the Chicago Police Department has decided to post signs informing foreign nationals of their rights. The signs will be placed in all lockups and detective headquarters, and will be in both Spanish and Polish. Along with information about legal rights, the signs will include the numbers for the Mexican and Polish consulates in Chicago. While the move is lauded as an attempt to comply with the Vienna Convention, which gives people arrested in a foreign country the right to assistance from their consulate, advocates are concerned about whether the signs will be noticed and prove truly effective. < Back | Next > Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk. |
