A report in the Population and Development Review revealed that most Latin American immigrants to the United States lose their ability to speak Spanish over the course of a few generations.  The study, conducted by sociologists Frank Bean and Ruben Rumbaut of University of California , Irivine and Douglas Massey from Princeton, drew its results from two surveys from immigrant communities in California and southern Florida .  The study concluded that by the third generation, most descendants of immigrations are "linguistically dead" in their mother tongue.  

The Reuters article quoted a statement by the researchers: "Based on an analysis of language loss over the generations, the study concludes that English has never been seriously threatened as the dominant language in America , nor is it under threat today."  

This test came as a result of controversy earlier this year when Latino artists recorded a Spanish-language version of "The Star-Spangled Banner," prompting outcry from public figures, including President Bush.  

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced in a press release that they have extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalia for 18 months.  The status will now automatically extend until March 17, 2008 .   

The 18-month extension is limited to nationals of Somalia who have registered during the registration period for the initial TPS designation announced on September 16, 1991 or during the registration period for the re-designation announced on September 4, 2001. Any person convicted of either a felony or two or more misdemeanors committed in the U.S. is not eligible for TPS.  

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According to the Los Angeles Times, the American Civil Liberties Union and a Muslim civil rights group filed a lawsuit on behalf of 10 Southern California immigrants who have been waiting two years or more for their citizenship.  The lawsuit accuses government officials of illegally delaying the immigrants’ background checks and allowing applications to linger indefinitely.  

One of the immigrants, Afghan-born Mustafa Aziz, a four-year Air Force veteran, applied for citizenship while on duty in 2003.  He passed the naturalization exam the following year.  Over two years later, Aziz has still yet to obtain citizenship. Service in the military has been a route to expedited U.S. citizenship for many immigrants since the events of September 11.   

Sharon Rummery, spokeswoman for the Citizenship and Immigration Service, said about 15 of citizen applicants wait longer than six months for standard background checks to be completed.  "[W]e are required to send these names to the FBI.  When [the completed background check] comes back to us, we move the file forward.  Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Southern California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the long delays were due to "either incompetence or discrimination."  The council, the ACLU’s partner in the lawsuit referred the 10 plaintiffs to the organization.  

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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has announced the appointment of Tracy Thompson as the agency’s Chief of Equal Opportunity and Inclusion.  

Prior to joining USCIS, Ms. Thompson was the Equal Employment Opportunity Officer for five years for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  During here tenure here, she significantly reduced the processing time for EEO cases, guaranteed all employees were trained in agreement with No Fear Act requirements, and authored documents on zero tolerance and inclusion, anti-harassment, and reasonable accommodation.  Prior to that position, Ms. Thompson worked in both the Milwaukee and Los Angeles offices of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).  

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced additional plans tocombat the smuggling of Cuban nationals in to the United States .  The DHS hopes that these measures, modeled on the maritime drug-smuggling laws, will promote the safe and legal migration of Cubans with families in the U.S.   The same measures aim to prohibit U.S. entry to members of the Castro regime who have committed human rights abuses.  

Among the measures related to U.S. policy with Cuba , the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will exercise its discretion to increase the numbers of Cuban migrants and refugees admitted to the U.S. each year who have family members in the U.S.   Additionally, DHS will implement a system that will allow families to learn if their loved ones have been interdicted at sea.  A family member will be able to contact their member of Congress who will then relay the request to USCIS.  USCIS in turn will supply the Congressperson of any safety and health information regarding the immigrant.  

Additionally, USCIS has pledged that any Cuban regime officials identified by the U.S. State Department as human rights abusers will not be allowed to enter the United States as a legal immigrant.  This rule applies to certain positions in the Cuban government or known to have been engaged in persecution of others.