Figures released last week by the non-profit Institute of Internal Education show that the number of foreign students enrolled in US colleges increased by nearly 7% last year to 623,805, an all-time high and the largest one-year increase on record, USA Today reports.  Enrollments of foreign undergraduate and graduate students just starting to pursue their degree are increasing at an even greater rate of 10.1%, an indicator that growth will continue, according to the report.  

“These numbers are truly historic,” said Goli Ameri, Assistant Secretary of Education.  “We haven’t just covered lost ground … we have now surpassed” previous records.  

Institute president Allan Goodman credits the sharp increase primarily to efforts by the US government and colleges in recent years “to ensure that international students know they are welcomed here.”  From 2000 to 2006, the number of international students in US institutions dropped from 25% to 20%, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 

The Institute’s October study of 778 colleges and universities shed further light on the reason for increased international enrolment.  Of 432 schools that reported an increase in international enrollment, 19% said the weak US dollar made tuition costs more attractive.   

The increase of foreign students also plays a vital role in the domestic economy, the report says, as foreign college graduates contribute about $15.5 billion to the economy.  The reliance upon foreign students to contribute domestically will only continue to increase, Goodman warns.  “We just don’t have enough Americans going into science, math and engineering, and the foreign graduate student is the teaching assistant we badly need,” he says.  “We want them because one of them is going to cure cancer or invent the vaccine for HIV.”   

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The Washington Post reports that Jonathan Scharfen, acting director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services since April 2008, stepped down this month.  Scharfen will reportedly become the new vice president of international operations for Northrop Grumman’s technology services sector. His acting deputy, Michael Aytes, will oversee day-to-day agency operations for at least the tenure of the Bush administration, USCIS spokesman Bill Wright said. 

“[Scharfen] has made lasting contributions to homeland security, including processing a record number of naturalization petitions, effectively eliminating an FBI name check backlog, and welcoming thousands of Iraqi refugees that supported the US overseas.”  DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff said in a statement thanking Scharfen for his service. 

A U.S. Marine Corps lawyer and former National Security Council staffer, Scharfen joined the agency in June 2006 as deputy to its former director, Emilio T. Gonzalez, after a 25-year active duty military career and three years as counsel and deputy staff director at the House International Relations Committee. 

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A recent Zogby International poll of Catholics in the United States showed overwhelming support for reform of American immigration laws, with Catholics supporting a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million undocumented persons in the country.  Spero News reports that the poll was conducted last October with a sample 1,000 people who self-identified as Roman Catholics, and was commissioned by Migration and Refugee Services of the United Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

About 69 percent of Catholics polled supported a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, provided they register with the government; 62 percent polled support the concept but only if they were required to learn English. 

“These results show that, like other Americans, Catholics want a solution to the challenge of illegal immigration and support undocumented immigrants becoming full members of our communities and nation,” said Johnny Young, executive director of Migration and Refugee Services of the USCCB.  “It is clear that those opposed to a legalization of the undocumented are a minority.”

Additional findings of the survey reveal that 64 percent of Catholic opposes the construction of a wall along the US border with Mexico, while three out of four Catholics agree that the church has a moral obligation to help provide for the humanitarian needs of immigrants, regardless of their legal status. 

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The Miami Krome Detention Center kicked off an ambitious new program this month, which aims to rapidly speed immigration court proceedings for any immigrants facing deportation.  The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that the Miami center has shaved an average of 13 days off the time it takes to process cases.  Not only does this mean that immigrants get a quicker decision on whether they will be deported or set free, but it has translated into millions in saving on detention costs and created a more efficient court system.   

“The cards tend to be stacked against immigrants seeking relief from deportation,” said Cheryl Little, executive director of Miami’s Florida Immigration Advocacy Center.  “Many face forced separation from family.  Some face the threat of death if they’re returned to their native country.  Some have a legal claim to stay and don’t know it.   

The new orientation program is intended to give immigrant detainees a better overview of their right and the legal process, help find pro-bono lawyers for some and allows others to better represent themselves.  It also clarifies to some immigrants that they have no legal standing to be in the US, making it clear that it is best to cut court proceedings short, saving them legal fees. 

“This program is extraordinarily important because there are people in the detained setting that are giving up their rights’ to stay in the country,” said Linda Osberg-Braun, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s South Florida chapter. 

While the program was launched in 2003 and currently covers 13 sites, the orientation at the Krome Center was considered exceptionally successful.  An independent study of the center revealed that cases processed at the Krome Center had their cases processed in 27 days versus the 40 day averages of most immigrant detention centers. 

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Last month, the Irish government announced that its countries’ airports are set to become the first outside North America to offer full US immigration checks before departure, potentially boosting their position as transatlantic hubs, Reuters reports.  Dublin’s and Shannon’s airports already offer immigration clearance but passengers must still clear customs and agriculture inspection on arrival in the United States. 

Shortly after the announcement, Ireland’s transportation minister Noel Dempsey signed an agreement with DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff which would allow Shannon to offer full clearance facilities by summer 2009, and Dublin by 2010.  “Flights from Shannon and Dublin airports will be treated like domestic flights in the US,” Dempsey said.