Signaling a further trend in decreased immigration, USCIS announced that the number of citizenship applications dropped sharply between 2007 and 2008.  The Dallas Morning News reports that in fiscal year 2007, a record 1.4 million legal permanent residents applied to become naturalized US citizens; by fiscal year 2008, the number of citizenship applications dropped to about 518,000.  “We are seeing the effect of the economy,” said deputy director Michael Aytes.  “[But] we are particularly concerned about naturalizations.” 

The drop can be attributed to a number of factors, such as economic downturn, tougher immigration ordinance, or the sharp increase in filing fees.  “In July 2007, the government raised their filing fees by 60%,” said Steve Ladik, former president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.  “In this economic climate, it is the fees that have reduced demand.”  The fee increase has even affected the coveted H-1B category, where federal filing fees can cost up to $3,320 per application.  “Many high-tech companies haven’t stopped filing, but they have probably slowed down their rate of hiring,” Ladik said. 

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Labor Secretary Hilda Solis announced last week that she wants to reassess the rules set forth by the Bush administration that changed the nation’s guest farm worker program.  According to the Associated Press, the overhaul by the former president was intended to make it easier for farmers to hire foreign field workers.  The rules have faced criticism from many in the industry: farm worker advocates argue that the changes would lower wages in the fields and erode labor protections; growers argue that the rules do not streamline the process or provide the comprehensive immigration reform they had hoped for. 

Solis announced that she will suspend the new rules for the program for nine months so her department can further review and reconsider their options.  The proposal to suspend was made official last week, and is currently in the 10-day public comment stage.   

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Immigrant Advocate groups Human Rights Watch and Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center (FIAC) recently released respective reports, both highlighting the routine delays, denials, or inadequacies in medical care for immigrants in detention, The Associated Press reports.  Both reports blame ICE for hiring unskilled or indifferent staff, overcrowding, language barriers, and limited services available to detainees.   

Both groups argue that alternatives to detention, such as requirements to check in by phone or in person, are “more human” and could cost taxpayers as little as $12 a day, compared with $95 a day to keep someone in immigration custody.  They also argue that many medical problems could be avoided if ICE did not lock up people who are elderly, have health issues, or lack criminal records.  “ICE needlessly detains people with severe illnesses and those who pose no harm to US communities.  Doing so drives up ICE costs even as the agency provides increasingly inadequate medical and mental health care to those in its custody,” said FIAC executive director Cheryl Little. 

Human Rights Watch emphasized that female detainees are especially at risk, because commonplace reproductive health issues do not receive adequate attention in a system that emphasizes emergency care.  Women told the group’s researchers that they had been shackled while pregnant, missed appointments for mammograms and pap smears, or failed to receive prenatal care while in immigration custody.  “This overall approach, as well as specific restrictions on pap smears, hormonal contraception, and access to specialist care, undermined the health of a number of women,” according to the Human Rights Watch report. 

Both groups allege that inadequacies in medical care may have contributed to the deaths of some detainees in ICE custody.  According to ICE, 77 immigrants have died in detention in the last five fiscal years, although they do not specify the causes of any deaths. 

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This week, President Obama signed an executive order extending the Temporary Protected Status of approximately 3,600 Liberians, allowing them to continue living in the US for an additional 12 months, The Associated Press reports.  The 18-month extension issued by former President Bush was set to expire on March 31, with advocates for the Liberians hopeful for Congress to reach a more permanent solution.  Liberians “have contributed to our society for more than a decade, becoming active members of our communities and providing for their families,” said Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) of the extension.  “I am pleased that the president has acted to preserve their status here, preventing a grave injustice.” 

More than 250,000 Liberians currently live in the United States, stemming from a series of TPS extensions.  Bush announced the 2007 extension would be the last one, as the Liberian civil wars that warranted the initial TPS status have since ceased.  Liberian supporters have long argued that although the quality of living in the African nation has improved, it is still a dangerous environment with high unemployment, inadequate infrastructure and electricity, among other problems. 

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One of the largest Hispanic groups in the US has expressed its disappointment over President Obama’s nomination for head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division.  According to The Los Angeles Times, the criticism from the National Council of La Raza isn’t directed towards who Obama selected, but rather, who he didn’t select.  Many Hispanic advocates were hopeful that the administration would select Thomas Saenz, advisor to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and leading contender for the DOJ position, wasn’t selected for the job.   

Supporters of Saenz allege that the snub relates to his strong advocacy for immigration rights, and may indicate that President Obama is hesitant to touch the issue of immigration.  “This action may lead some to question whether the White House is ready to fulfill its promise on immigration reform,” said La Raza president Janet Murguia.   

Saenz, a former vice president of litigation for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), has pushed for anti-discrimination protection from Border Patrol sweeps.  When the rumor circulated that he would be picked for one of DOJ’s top spots, prompted opposition from anti-undocumented immigration groups. 

The nominee the Obama administration did choose is Thomas Perez, Maryland’s secretary of labor and a first-generation Dominican-American.  Perez, despite his involvement with immigrant advocacy groups CASA de Maryland and National Immigration Forum, has made virtually no public statements regarding immigration reform.    

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USCIS announced that, for fiscal year 2009, it plans to distribute $1.2 million among community organizations that assist applicants through the procedures of obtaining citizenship, The Latin American Herald Tribune reports.  USCIS officials insist that the services of these organizations must concentrate on providing education in English, history and civics, and require both a written exam and an interview with USCIS officials.  The funds are intended for these organizations to buy books, set up computers and language programs, and to train personnel and volunteers who work in services dedicated solely to obtaining citizenship. 

As to which organizations get funding, this remains still undecided.  “This donation won’t cover a lot since it has been divided into 12 parts of $100,00 each and the competition among community agencies to get their share will be tough,”  said Mina Torres of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network.  “These funds should also be taken by local agencies as training, since when immigration reform is approved, at local levels these organizations will have a lot of work to do helping legalize the immigration status of thousands of undocumented aliens,” she said.