As a result of increased INS background checks, naturalization ceremonies for thousands of people have been postponed. Ceremonies have been cancelled in Miami and New York, and several people were taken out of a ceremony in Los Angeles. In other cities, as many as 20 percent of people scheduled for oath ceremonies have been told they are not eligible because background checks are still being conducted.
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The mother of accused Washington, DC, area sniper John Lee Malvo was deported to Jamaica last week. Una James and her son entered the US without permission sometime in 2000. A year ago she and Malvo were detained by the INS, but were released on bond. INS officials say James may be allowed to reenter the US to testify at her son’s trial.
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Leaders of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine recently issued a joint statement criticizing increased visa restrictions, saying that the measures are having an unanticipated negative impact on scientific research. According to the statement “ongoing research collaborations have been hampered,” and “outstanding young scientists, engineers, and health researchers have been prevented from or delayed in entering this country.” They are concerned that, among other things, US visa policy will mean that international scientific conferences will be moved out of the US. The statement also stressed that while visa policies should be designed to keep out those who would do harm, they should also facilitate the entry of those who will be bringing a benefit to the US.
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According to a new poll released this week, public opinion and elite opinion on immigration differ greatly, with the public calling for more restrictions on legal immigration and more efforts to combat undocumented immigration than leaders support. The poll, which was conducted over the summer by the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, found that 70 percent of those polled said reducing undocumented immigration should be a “very important” policy goal, while just 22 percent of the “elites,” members of Congress and leaders of the business, academic, labor and religious communities, polled. Fifty-five percent of the public supported reduced levels of legal immigration, compared to 18 percent among the leaders. Supporters of reduced immigration say the poll results support their position, but immigration advocates say much of the results stems for the wording of poll questions, and add that for most people, immigration is still not a major concern.
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Two men in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area were recently charged with document fraud in two separate schemes after a yearlong investigation. Officials say that Fernando Gutierrez was sent hundreds of blank green cards and other documents from California, and would then use his own document making machines to provide identities. In the other case, Chistian Martinez was charged with possessing of fraudulent documents after officials found him in possession of hundreds of blank immigration documents.
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A Sudanese pilot working in North Carolina as a taxi driver this week pled guilty to immigration fraud charges, including making false statements to obtain a tourist visa and in support of an asylum application. Mekki Hamed Mekki’s plea agreement is sealed, but attorneys involved in the case say that he will be deported. According to local government officials, the federal government believes he has connections to terrorist organizations.
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