CBP Announces Automation of Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has announced that it will automate Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record to streamline the admissions process for individuals lawfully visiting the United States. The Form I-94 provides international visitors with evidence that they have been lawfully admitted to the U.S. which is necessary to verify alien registration, immigration status, and employment authorization. The automation means that affected visitors will no longer need to fill out a paper form when arriving to the U.S. by air or sea, improving procedures and reducing costs. Travelers who submit the Form I-94 electronically and want a hard copy or other evidence of admission will be directed towww.cbp.gov/I94 to print a copy of an I-94. The new change will go into effect 30 days after the rule is published in the Federal Register.
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/national/03212013.xml
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Deferred Enforced Departure Extended for Liberians
USCIS has announced that it will automatically extend employment authorization documents (EADs) for Liberian nationals covered under Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) through September 30, 2013. The six-month extension of existing EADs will allow eligible Liberians to continue working in the United States while they file their applications for new EADs that will cover the full 18 months of the DED extension through September 30, 2014. The extension will also allow USCIS to complete processing and issuance of those new EADs.
Although DED for Liberian nationals was scheduled to end on March 31, 2013, President Obama determined that there are compelling foreign policy reasons to continue deferring enforcement departure for eligible Liberian nationals presently living in the United States under the existing grant of DED. Certain individuals are who are ineligible for the DED are Liberians who did not have Temporary Protected Status (TPS) on September 30, 2007, and are therefore not covered under current DED; certain criminals; persons subject to the mandatory bars of TPS; and persons whose removal is in the interest of the United States.
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Sequester means up to 2 weeks of unpaid leave for Customs and Border Protection
The Washington Post reported that U.S. Customs and Border Protection would lay off its employees for up to 2 weeks this year after the automatic spending cuts known as the sequester kicked in on March 1st. The agency notified the National Border Patrol Council president of its plans for $754 million in spending cuts if lawmakers fail to come up with an alternative to the sequester in time for the deadline. The letter said unpaid leaves would be mandatory for all Customs and Border Protection employees, including management and workers without union representatives. Notices would go out in mid-March, the agency said.
Other cuts would include an agency-wide hiring freeze, contract adjustments or delays, and reductions in travel, training, supplies, facilities, overtime and relocation reimbursement, according to the letter. Customs and Border Patrol would also require its workers to start paying the cost of voluntary relocations on their own if the cuts happen, and the agency would stop hiring new workers to fill vacancies in frontline positions.
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Border Patrol Apprehensions in Arizona Lowest in 19 Years
The Arizona Republic reported that the number of arrests by Border Patrol agents in Arizona has decreased despite the high number of agents patrolling the state. The number of undocumented immigrants apprehended dropped 43 percent in the last two years. The Border Patrol says enhanced security has made the border more difficult and dangerous to cross. Even as apprehensions drop, deportations remain high. In addition, the drop in apprehensions has not led to a similar fall in the number of immigrants dying in the desert. A medical team which tracks figures provided by county medical examiners and law-enforcement agencies reported 179 migrant deaths in Arizona last fiscal year, just a 2 percent difference from the previous fiscal year.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/20130207arizona-border-apprehensions-statistics.html
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CBP Chief David Aguilar Retiring
ExecutiveGov reported that David Aguilar, head of Customs and Border Protection, will retire at the end of March after a three-year term as the agency’s acting chief and a 31-year career with United States Border agencies. Aguilar led more than 60,000 CBP workers during his tenure, including 43,000 uniformed enforcement officers. Before leading Customs and Border Protection, Aguilar served as chief of the Border Control, leading the agency in partnerships with the Department of Defense and National Guard.
http://www.executivegov.com/2013/02/cbp-chief-david-aguilar-retiring/
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Graph of the Day: Illegal Immigration Has Dropped Sharply Since 2007
The Washington Post reported that that number of undocumented immigrants has dropped sharply during the recession. According to a chart from Pew Research Center, the key reason for the drop is that overall Hispanic immigration from Mexico and Latin America has slowed significantly since the financial crisis hit.
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Study I-19 Checkpoint Affecting Home Values in Southern Arizona
AZCentral reported that an independent study examining the sales of homes in southern Arizona found that border checkpoints has hurt property taxes in the area. The study examined sales of homes in Green Valley, Tubac, and Rio Rico from February 2009 to April 2012. Study results showed that Tubac and Rio Rico home values rose and fell “in lockstep” with Green Valley prices in a 12-month span. The study’s executive summary says “interviews with a broad cross-section of community members revealed significant opposition to the checkpoint and included claims that its presence has had a negative impact on residential real-estate prices.” The $1.5 million Border Patrol’s checkpoint at Interstate 19 went into service in 2010. It is about 25 miles north of the U.S. Mexico Border and replaced a smaller mobile checkpoint the Border patrol had been operating nearby. The study, “The Border Patrol Checkpoint on Interstate 19: A Case Study of Impacts on Residential Real Estate Prices,” was designed to create a methodology for assessing the impact of checkpoints around the country.
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Obama Administration Deported Record 1.5 Million People
NPR reports that President Obama’s administration deported a record 1.5 million undocumented immigrants in his first term. Although President Obama supports setting a path to citizenship for many illegal immigrants, latest data released by the government show that an unprecedented 409,849 people were deported for the fiscal year that ended September 30. The increase from the previous year occurred despite policy changes ordered by Obama to reduce the deportation of otherwise law-abiding undocumented immigrants. More than 255,000 people deported in the past year were convicted of crimes such as drug offenses and driving under the influence. The administration says the figures demonstrate that the shift in enforcement to focus on criminals is working.
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