August has been another busy month for immigration news. Since our last issue, immigration has again risen to the top of the news headlines. The Republican Convention in San Diego left many confused on how that party really feels about immigration. Bob Dole selected pro-legal immigration Jack Kemp as his Vice Presidential candidate. And Colin Powell, the son of Jamaican immigrants, pointedly addressed the importance of a fair, open immigration system. At the same time, however, the Republicans approved a shocking platform plank that called for amending the Constitution so that American-born children of illegal immigrants would not be citizens of the US. Senator Dole has already publicly stated his opposition to the provision.
Back in Washington, the Simpson/Smith immigration reform legislation remains stalled with President Clinton now threatening to veto the bill if provisions which would ban public education for illegal immigrant children remain. Only a small amount of time remains for this bill to pass or die.
In this issue of the Bulletin, we also report on a number of other important developments including passage of the Welfare Bill, the suspension of H-1B visa processing until new visa numbers are released in October and the imminent addition of nine new countries to the list of E-2 Treaty Investor nations. We also include our regular features such as INS processing time reports, Visa Spotlight and our Consular Focus.
Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk. The information provided in this article has not been updated since its original posting and you should not rely on it until you consult counsel to determine if the content is still valid. We keep older articles online because it helps in the understanding of the development of immigration law.