A special thank you to our many readers who kindly provided us with their names and addresses for the American Immigration Lawyers Association letter to Congress regarding its 1997 legislative agenda. Let’s hope we have an impact!
In February, the House Immigration Subcommittee held its first hearings of the new Congress. The Subcommittee’s first task was to discuss the oversight of the implementation of INS regulations relating to portions of the new Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. Subcommittee Chairman Lamar Smith is pushing for a hardline interpretation of the new law’s provisions covering expedited removal procedures.
The House Immigration Subcommittee will be holding a number of hearings in March reviewing corruption at the INS’ Krome detention facility in Miami. The Subcommittee is also holding a hearing to investigate the alleged failure by INS to carry out criminal background checks in the Citizenship USA program. The House State, Justice and Commerce Appropriations Subcommittee will also be holding a hearing in March addressing the FBI’s plans for clearing the backlog in fingerprint checks in naturalization cases.
The American Immigration Lawyers Association, one of the leading organizations on the side of immigration rights, has appointed a new Director of Advocacy. Judy Golub, a seasoned government relations advocate, takes over the position.
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.