 NEWS BYTES
On June 1, 2001, the INS began its premium processing program. Under this program, for a ,000 fee, applicants for E, H, L, O, P, and Q visas will be guaranteed a decision or a request for additional evidence within 15 calendar days of submission.
*********
INS officials have decided to allow Meriam Al-Khalifa to remain in the US. In November 1999, the member of the royal family of Bahrain became international news when she snuck into the US with the assistance of her husband, a former US Marine who she met in Bahrain. The INS originally sought to deport her on the basis that she used fraudulent documents to enter the US. Government attorneys later concluded that the evidence of this was not substantial, and decided against pursuing deportation. The INS decision to drop the deportation effort means that Al-Khalifa will not need to present an asylum claim, which would have been based on the treatment of Muslim women who marry non-Muslim men.
*********
Last week President Bush rejected Secretary of State Colin Powell’s choice to head the Population, Refugees and Migration Bureau within the State Department. Powell has selected Alan Kreczko, a career civil servant who is currently an assistant administrator in the Bureau. Instead, the White House has nominated John M. Klink, a dual citizen of the US and Ireland, who is currently a member of the Vatican’s delegation to the United Nations. Klink is opposed to abortion rights, a matter that concerns refugee advocates. Klink is known to oppose family planning and the use of condoms in preventing the spread of AIDS. Klink’s nomination must be approved by the Senate
*********
Last week, in a disturbing incident, Rep. David Wu (D-OR), the only Chinese-American in Congress, was stopped by security guards and repeatedly questioned as to his identity. Wu, who was born in Taiwan, is a US citizen, and presented his congressional identification card to the guards. Wu has written a letter to the Secretary of Energy, former Chair of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, Spencer Abraham. The Department of Energy had invited Wu to speak about the progress of Asian Americans in the US, something Wu calls “the ultimate irony.” Abraham apologized, and said security measures would be reviewed. It is Department of Energy policy to question people about their citizenship. Wu expressed concern that this policy could be enforced in a racially selective way. The Department of Energy has come under fire for alleged racial profiling, especially in the wake of the almost complete exoneration of Wen Ho Lee, a Taiwanese born researcher who was accused of spying for China.
*********
The Tonhono O’odham tribe, whose lands cover the US-Mexico border in Arizona, are requesting the federal government to recognize all members of the tribe as US citizens. They say that they are often accosted by Border Patrol agents and treated as undocumented immigrants. The tribe’s land was divided between the US and Mexico after the Mexican-American War. Most Tonhono O’odham remained in the US, but about 1,500 of the 24,000 current members live in Mexico. Because they are not recognized as US citizens, travel to the US can be risky.
*********
In a recent memorandum, the Department of State issued a notice that it will begin advising visa recipients of the health risks, both physical and mental, of female genital mutilation, as well as the criminal penalties for performing such actions in the US. The advisory includes a description of the practice and the health risks that can result.
*********
This week the Iowa Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights issued a report on the treatment of immigrants in the state. According to the report, recent immigrants are struggling to secure access to social services and legal protections. The report does not make many recommendations, noting that more fact-finding is required to do that. It does suggest that more minority policy officers be hired to reflect the increasing diversity of the state. The report is available on line at http://www.usccr.gov/iasac/main.htm
*********
Last weekend in East Boston, police shot and killed Jose Pineda, an immigrant from El Salvador. While on his way home from work, he came upon two undercover police officers questioning two other men. Pineda ran away, and was chased by the police. They identified themselves as police, but Pineda did not understand English. Pineda stabbed one of the policemen, and the police then shot him six times. The police are investigating whether excessive force was used, but all sides say the event is an indication of the need for increased outreach to Hispanic communities, and increased efforts to ensure that the police all able to communicate with non-English speakers.
*********
According to a poll conducted by the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute in California and the University of Tamaulipas in Mexico, residents on both sides of the border share basic views about the border. There is widespread agreement that there should be freer movement of workers, more investment, and increased environmental protections. Ninety percent of Mexicans polled and sixty percent of Americans believe that the North American Free Trade Agreement should be amended to permit easier movement of workers.
*********
At its annual conference this week, NAFSA: Association of International Educators came out in firm opposition to the INS plan to track foreign students in the US. The tracking program was enacted as part of the 1996 immigration law, and was spurred on by the fact that some of those involved in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing had entered the US on student visas. The tracking program has not yet been implemented, in part because of debate about who will collect the 0 fee from the students. The INS and the State Department want schools to collect it, and the schools are reluctant to do so. The program is expected to begin on September 30 of this year.
|
