The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced the start of a Pilot Program to collect DNA from certain individuals taken into their custody in two locations. The two locations selected for the 90-day Pilot Program are:
The USCIS web site has a Virtual Assistant to help you with USCIS site specific searches. “Emma” is the name of the Virtual Assistant and she is located in the upper right corner of the USCIS website, right beside the normal search function.
Emma can answer your questions and even take you right to what you are looking for. Just click, “Ask a Question” or Emma’s picture and a text box will appear. Next, type in your question and hit the “Send” button to get your results.
USCIS has released a new YouTube video documentary entitled, “USCIS and the Legacy of Ellis Island”. This documentary describes the operational history of USCIS at Ellis Island and is told from their employees’ point of view!
Ellis Island operated as the nations’ busiest Immigration inspection station from 1892 until 1954. They processed over 12 million immigrants in its 62 years of operation.
For a more detailed history of Ellis Island view the following:
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is proposing using facial-recognition technology at all points of entrance and exit from the United States, including on U.S. citizens. DHS has proposed changing regulations to allow them to do just that. Facial recognition technology matches an image of a person from a photo or video with a still image of them in a database.
Michael Hardin, director of exit/entry policy for DHS, stated that the rule was in the “final stages of clearance.” If the rule is approved, it would have to be published for public comments for a period.
For further details please review the CNN News Article, “Homeland Security wants to use facial recognition on traveling US citizens, too”.
USCIS announced November 12th on their Twitter Account (@USCIS) that they are looking for help shaping the future design and features of their official web site. How can you help? USCIS is looking for users to register for Website Feature Testing using the following link to their web page, “Help Us Test Website Features”. After submitting your email address, a new window will indicate that you have successfully subscribed and that they have received your information. If you want to have an input, here is your chance.
Source of Information:
USCIS Twitter Account – @USCIS / November 12, 2019 at 11:45am: Help Us Test Website Features
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) has provided FY2019 statistics (Fourth Quarter) in the form of program factsheets for each of the major immigration programs. These updated FY2019 statistics (Fourth Quarter) covers July 2019 through September 2019.
The link to each FY2019 (Fourth Quarter) program factsheets is listed below:
• Permanent Labor Certification Program – Select Statistics
Six couples have joined a class action suit against the USCIS for allegedly luring them to marriage interviews but when they arrive the immigrant spouse were detained for deportation. A couple from Baltimore, Alyse and Elmer Sanchez arrived for their marriage interview when moments later Elmer was detained and taken away. Alyse Sanchez stated, “We feel it was a trap, a trick, to get us there,”.
For further details please review the SFGate News Article, “Suit says feds using immigration marriage interviews as trap”.
Source of Information:
Several Hispanic Americans tell the story of their heritage. They reflect on immigration, culture, and their identity. The first story is about Julián Castro and the American Dream.
For further details please review the CBS News Article, ““There is a story to my heritage”: Hispanic Americans reflect on immigration, culture, and identity”.
National Hispanic Heritage Month was Celebrated from September 15th – October 15th.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr has issued a new rule for the Department of Justice (DOJ), that will allow federal authorities to start gathering DNA information on the approximately 748,000 immigrants annually that present themselves at legal ports of entry. The federal officials said they would create a huge (criminal) database of information of individual migrants. Barr has stated that they just want a “genetic fingerprint” that can uniquely identify a person but without other personal information being disclosed.
Naureen Shah, Senior Advocacy and Policy Counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) stated, “It’s the most intimate information that you can take from someone. It is information you can use to find their family members, to know their histories,”. She also stated, “And we’re going to be taking it from people against their will.”
The Rule: DNA-Sample Collection from Immigration Detainees (.PDF)
This article examines an analysis of American Community Survey* data by Brookings Institution demographer William Frey, a leading expert in the geography of immigration. The data shows that the foreign-born population has declined within the United States in areas that voted Democratic in 2016 and increased in states and metro areas that voted for President Trump. Immigration to the U.S. has slowed in coastal states but increased in Trump-voting states and metropolitan areas. President Trump’s crackdown on immigration is having some unexpected outcomes!
For further details please review the CITYLAB News Article, “The New Geography of American Immigration”.
*American Community Survey
H1B Visa Lawyer Blog