Noncitizens Sue over U.S. Gay Marriage Ban

The New York Times reports that five legally married same-sex couples filed suit in United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York to challenge the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that bars the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. The lawsuit was brought by Immigration Equality, a gay rights legal organization that focuses on immigration issues. Same-sex marriage advocates said it was likely to become the most prominent suit seeking to overturn the law based on its effect on gay or lesbian immigrants who want to gain legal residence through marriage to American citizens.

Rachel B. Tiven, the executive director of Immigration Equality, said the group tried during the past year to persuade the federal government to put a hold on consideration of green card applications from same-sex couples, while several challenges to the marriage act made their way through courts. Federal authorities did not agree to the hold and had continued to deny the applications, she said, prompting the group to proceed with the lawsuit.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/us/noncitizens-sue-over-us-defense-of-marriage-act.html

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Alabama’s House Approves Immigration Law Changes

Reuters reports that Alabama’s House of Representatives approved an 83-page bill making substantial changes to the state’s controversial immigration law. The bill’s author, Rep. Micky Hammon (R), first introduced the changes after a series of lawsuits and controversies over certain provisions hoping to make the laws more enforceable. The revised immigration bill passed by a 64-34 vote and now will be taken up by the Alabama Senate. Critics of the measure, largely Democratic members, however, continued to question the expansion of the “reasonable suspicion” provisions which they say promote racial profiling.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/47110754

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Russell Pearce, Arizona Immigration Law Author, Says Romney’s “policy is identical to mine”

The Washington Post reports that Mitt Romney’s tough stance on illegal immigration during the 2012 campaign won him the support of an influential conservative voice on the issue, Russel Pearce, the former Arizona state Senate president and author of the state’s controversial anti-illegal immigration law. In an interview after a tea party dinner in Arizona, Pearce described Romney’s stance on illegal immigration as the same as his own. During the interview, Pearce went on to say that he is throwing his support behind Romney. The statement by Pearce could give Romney further support among conservatives, but it also may serve as ammunition for Democrats leading up to the presidential election as they seek to portray Romney as out-of-touch with the wishes of Hispanic voters.

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22,000 H-1B Applications Filed in First Four Days

Business Today reports that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) received about 22,000 petitions for H-1B work visas, used to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in specialized fields, in the first four days after it started accepting applications on April 2. USCIS spokesperson Bill Wright announced the numbers before quickly noting, however, that these are preliminary figures. Even so, the preliminary data suggests there has been a substantial increase in the H-1B petitions this year as compared to the previous two years.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3287002.ece

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Immigration Reform Divides Mississippi’s Top Leaders

WJTV News (MS) reports that a controversial immigration reform bill that died in a Mississippi State Senate committee may be brought back to life before the end of the legislative session. The full Senate has not spoken on the proposal, which was never brought up for a committee vote. The head of a key House committee says he’s exploring ways to amend another bill that would force an up or down vote on immigration in the senate. Governor Bryant campaigned on the issue last year, but he and Lt. Governor Reeves aren’t on the same page on the hot button issue. Reeves’ critics have accused him of intentionally assigning the immigration bill to a Senate committee chaired by Democrat Hob Bryan in order to deny Bryant a victory on the issue. Reeves denied this allegation and said there is no rift between him and governor.

http://www2.wjtv.com/news/2012/apr/05/immigration-reform-divides-top-leaders-ar-3552660/

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Court Disbars Omaha-Area Attorney

The Omaha World Herald (NE) reports that the Nebraska Supreme Court disbarred one Omaha-area immigration attorney and publicly reprimanded another. In the first case, the court accepted Bart Chavez’s offer to voluntarily surrender his license and ordered him disbarred. Chavez agreed to surrender his license and said he would not contest several grievances filed against him with the state Counsel for Discipline. The ruling did not detail the grievances.

In the second case, the court reprimanded Joseph Lopez-Wilson and placed him on probation for two years for failing to properly file two critical documents for a client. As a result of his failures, the client was ordered deported from the United States. The high court noted that Lopez-Wilson has been disciplined twice before.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20120406/NEWS97/704079997

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