The lead consultant for a gas pipeline project in Alaska was turned away at the U.S. border for unspecified visa problems this week.  Pedro van Meurs, a Netherlands native, tried to enter Alaska from Vancouver for negotiations in Anchorage but was forced to participate in the meetings by phone, according to the Associated Press.  

***** 

At a convention of the American Society of Newspaper Editors last week, President Bush said that he was surprised by his administration’s plans to require U.S. citizens to show a passport when reentering the country from Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean, and he ordered an administration review of whether the entry rules should be relaxed.  The changed policy is aimed at preventing terrorists from entering the country by exploiting a lenient policy.  In most cases, U.S. citizens must show only driver’s licenses to reenter from Mexico and Canada.  The new rules will also require Mexicans and Canadians to present a passport or another official document to enter the United States.

According to the Washington Post, the president said that he has instructed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and officials from the Department of Homeland Security to see if there is enough flexibility in the new policy to accommodate regular travelers, including truckers and tourists.  Bush said one option might be electronic fingerprint imaging. 

***** 

A new ordinance has been presented recently in Elsmere, Delaware, regarding undocumented immigrants, landlords who rent to undocumented immigrants and employers who employ undocumented aliens.  The ordinance states that officers of the town must require individuals to produce a document verifying his/her legal status within the U.S. if the officer has reasonable suspicion to believe that the individual is an undocumented alien.  Failure to provide such documentation subjects the individual to a fine of $100.  The ordinance also states that any landlord who rents living space to an individual who is proven to be an undocumented alien shall be fined $100 for each undocumented alien residing within the rental unit.  Additionally, any business owner within the Town of Elsmere who employs an undocumented alien shall be fined $1000 for each undocumented alien employed. 

***** 

The following notice was included in the May Visa Bulletin, warning of retrogression or complete unavailability of numbers in the Other Worker category: 

As mentioned in both the February and March Visa Bulletins, demand for visa numbers in the Other Worker category remains very high. A cut-off date was established for March in an attempt to limit number use. The imposition of that date has not had the desired effect and the level of demand remains excessive. Therefore, it is likely that the cut-off date will retrogress or numbers become “unavailable” in the near future.