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On 11/3/08 DHS announced that Secretary Chertoff signed a Visa Waiver Program (VWP) declaration with Romanian Ambassador Adrian Vierita. The declaration outlines security measures required for Romania’s possible designation as a VWP member.

Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is a program of the United States of America which allows citizens of specific countries to travel to the US for tourism or business for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa. All countries participating in the program are high-income economies with a high HDI and most are regarded as developed countries. This will be a big step for Romania if accepted into the program.

Read the press release

Sen. Barack Obama didn’t know his aunt might be living illegally in the United States, as media outlets are reporting, and his campaign will return contributions she made, an aide said Saturday.

According to The Associated Press, a court refused four years ago to accept the asylum application of Zeituni Onyango, 56, the half-sister of Obama’s Kenyan father. However, she has continued to live in a public housing complex in South Boston, AP reported.

Sarah Palin was very silent on the topic of immigration right up until her first interview with a Spanish-language network. Her views on immigration were kept confidential by her team for the past several weeks. Anchor Jorge Ramos sat down with the Republican vice presidential candidate to finally shed some light on Palin’s views on immigration.

Here are a few key points from the interview:

The interview was aired on October 21, 2008 during the broadcast of “Aquí y Ahora” on Univision Network. The following excerpt was taken from that interview:

Ruben Navarrette Jr., writing for the San Diego Union Tribune, published an excellent editorial about the declining support for McCain from the Hispanic voters.

McCain’s following among Latinos is evaporating. A poll by Zogby International found that 21 percent of Latinos support McCain, compared with 70 percent for Democrat Barack Obama; the Pew Hispanic Center ranked it 23 percent McCain and 66 percent Obama.

Navarrette asked McCain what in the world is going on. He blamed part of it on “heavy negative advertising” by his opponent.

The Wall Street Journal reports “New U.S. border-crossing cards can be copied and remotely disabled with off-the-shelf equipment, researchers said, the latest finding of security weaknesses in wireless technology.

Read the Story

A recent White House news release on the inclusion of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and South Korea in the Visa Waiver Program announces that in about a month citizens of these nations will be able to travel to the U.S. without a visa.

Soon even more countries will be considered to join, read the press release here Download file

As a lawyer focusing on hospitality immigration, I often educate my clients on immigration issues relating to this industry. The number one concern from most employers is how to hire much needed hospitality workers legally. The often feel that the government is ignoring their needs. I came across this interesting article about a restaurant owner from San Antonio not afraid to raise his voice.

Louis Barrios says that his biggest fear as an employer, a small businessman and an American is that Congress will continue to avoid dealing with immigration reform. Any society with an aging population like ours that doesn’t have a steady stream of immigrant labor is in trouble, he said. By 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of workers between the ages of 16 and 24 will decline, while the number between 25 and 54 will rise only slightly.

That means the only significant growth in the American labor pool over the next eight years will be among those 55 and older. Unless Washington, D.C., expects 60-year-olds to pick crops, wash dishes in restaurants and pound nails in the construction industry, something has to give.

Here is an interesting video one of my readers emailed me yesterday. This is another example how anti immigrants across the country are trying to show that under Obama administration all hell will break loose as it relates to immigration.

Recently, the DOS announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with Korea regarding the WEST (Work, English Study, Travel) Program. The exchange program, to be launched in 2009, will allow up to 5,000 university students and recent graduates from the to enter the U.S. for a period of 18 months on J-1 exchange visitor visas.

The WEST program is an innovative exchange program that will allow up to 5,000 qualifying university students and recent university graduates from the Republic of Korea to enter the United States for a period of 18 months on J-1 exchange visitor visas that will allow them to study English, participate in internships, and travel independently. Participants will devote at least 450 classroom hours to structured English language training and coursework focusing on American business practices and business procedures, U.S. corporate culture, and general office management issues.

Read more here

Several months ago, I consulted with a prospect that got the round around from the LA passport office. They kept sending her application back because her birth certificate was not good enough for them. I thought it was an isolated matter, but today the Washington Post reported on the problem nationwide.

It seems that the State Department is denying passports to people born in southern Texas near the border with Mexico if they were delivered by midwives, citing a history of birth certificate forgeries there for Mexican-born children dating to the 1960s, according to U.S. officials.

The civil liberties group is seeking class-action status on behalf of tens of thousands of Mexican Americans of all ages delivered by midwives in border states, alleging violations of constitutional due process and equal protection guarantees.