This week the Senate confirmed Eduardo Aguirre Jr. as the first Director of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS), following his appointment by President Bush earlier this year.

Aguirre was born in Cuba and is a naturalized U.S. citizen. He received his bachelor's degree from Louisiana State University and is a graduate of the National Commercial Lending Graduate School at the University of Oklahoma.

Mr. Aguirre was appointed and confirmed to serve as vice chairman and Chief Operating Officer of the Export-Import Bank of the United States in 2001. From December 2001 to December 2002, he served as acting Chairman of the bank. Mr. Aguirre is credited with shaping the bank into a result-oriented organization and improving customer service. Prior to this position, Mr. Aguirre served as President of International Private Banking for Bank of America for twenty-four years.

In 1995, then Governor George W. Bush appointed Aguirre to serve as Chairman of the Board of Regents of the University of Houston System for a six-year term.

The Supreme Court of Texas appointed Mr. Aguirre as a non-attorney director for the State Bar. He also became the first non-attorney chair of the Texas Bar Foundation.

Mr. Aguirre is considered to be one of the most influential Hispanics in the U.S., according to Hispanic Business Magazine. He has traveled through Latin America, Europe and Asia to promote economic growth, international trade and business opportunities.

Eduardo Aguirre’s bio is online at http://www.bcis.gov/graphics/aguirre_bio.htm

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This week a Capital Hill panel discussion sponsored by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) was held to discuss the role of local and state law enforcement in immigration enforcement and national security. The panel included two members of Congress, Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Representative Charlie Norwood of Georgia, who are both in support of legislation that includes a role for America’s police in assisting the federal government with immigration law enforcement. Also on the panel was the author of a CIS paper titled “Officers Need Backup: The Role of State and Local Police in Immigration Law Enforcement” as well as Haran Lowe, Assistant Attorney General in the Alabama Department of Public Safety and the Executive Director of CIS, Mark Krikorian. We will report on the panel’s findings as soon as a transcript is made available.

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The Immigrant Services Network of Austin (ISNA) has released an alert announcing a Department of Homeland Security rule change that could negatively affect self-petitioners under the immigration provisions of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Under the new rules, only the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement may grant deferred action, meaning the Vermont Service Center no longer has that authority. ISNA is urging activists to send letters to DHS officials to inform them of the seemingly unforeseen consequences of the rule change. More information on this campaign is available at ISNA’s website, online at http://www.immigrantconcerns.org/.

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An immigration lawyer in Texas has reported that some of his clients have received a visit from a DHS officer at their home or business. In most cases, the officer asked for verification of the clients’ home address or work information. The majority of those who received a visit had special registered, but Mexican and Central American clients have reported similar visits. If you are an immigration attorney with any information regarding this matter, please contact us by email at info@visalaw.com.