News Article Thread - 1

[GCcomesoon]

Hi

I had written to the omana herald, NE & they did publish this opinion on thier public pulse section.They have edited some part & thankfully the zist is still there. Lets all try to do the same by making the media , people, aware of our issues

Published in Omaha herald, dated 15th April , 2006 in Public pulse section
www.omaha.com

__________________________________________________ _______________An unfair process



I am a native of India and a software professional. I came to this country in October 1999 on an H-1B visa.

I have been trying to get my green card through my employer. But because of delays in labor certifications from the U.S. Department of Labor and the unavailability of visa numbers, people like me might get green cards only after 10 or more years of waiting. In reality and logically, this process should not exceed 24 months.

This delay in processing green cards is killing day-to-day life for my family and myself. We are not able to make major decisions like buying a home, establishing a business, investing in the economy through stocks, etc.

I am a legal, taxpaying and productive member of American society. But my career and working status are stalled by this seemingly never-ending, unfair wait in the American legal immigration system. It is very discouraging and possibly detrimental to the interest of the U.S. global economy in the 21st century.
__________________________________________________ _______________

Thanks
GCcomesoon

[bkarnik]

Maybe IV could point it towards some symphathetic Senator who can use it in a speech justifying the need for US to change its policies to avoid losing skilled immigrants. The link mentions Infosys planning to recruit students from US Universities.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a...ow/1495066.cms

[learning01]

Thanks GCcomesoon.
One more like us, probably one amongst us wrote this LTE (letters to editor) and it was published both in print and online editions of USAToday, 04/18/2005. For those of us, itching to write LTEs like, GCcomesoon, note the highly attention grabbing title / subject line and the crisp content.
How apt, how true, the USA is Today.

Legal immigrants pay high price to stay
With all of the spotlight shining on the issue of illegal immigrants and their belief that they deserve to receive citizenship — though they knowingly entered the country illegally — why is there very little discussion of how this affects legal immigrants and the problems they face?
My family arrived legally in the USA eight years ago, after all of the proper applications, waiting periods and investigations. We have purchased and restored homes. We pay taxes, Medicare and Medicaid — even though as non-Americans we are not necessarily entitled to any benefits.

We have been tied up in the immigration process for five years trying to change our status, but we seem to be getting nowhere. It is a slap in the face after everything that we have been through to think that illegal immigrants could gain citizenship faster than we could, especially considering they contribute nothing in the way of taxes, and they enjoy benefits we hold dear in this country, such as education and health care.

K. Jones, Philadelphia

Link to USAToday LTE:

Originally Posted by GCcomesoon

Hi

I had written to the omana herald, NE & they did publish this opinion on thier public pulse section.They have edited some part & thankfully the zist is still there. Lets all try to do the same by making the media , people, aware of our issues

Published in Omaha herald, dated 15th April , 2006 in Public pulse section
www.omaha.com
Thanks
GCcomesoon

[learning01]

Powerful economic interests that need cheap labour are stopping U.S. from dealing with problem of illegals
Two things about American immigration are different. One is that the United States is the only large developed country that has a long land border with an underdeveloped country. The other is that only the United States among developed countries possesses a politically powerful domestic lobby that actively wants a large, steady flow of unskilled immigrants, preferably illegal ones.

Taken together, these two oddities explain why immigration in America is such an explosive topic, and why Congress is unable to pass any new law regulating the flow.

Read it in full at Toronto Star:

[learning01]

Note: Each one of us is looking forward how the comprehensive immigration reform will move forward. More so as Apr 24th nears and Congress reconvenes. I have read partisan writings, of all hues, of what is going to happen in the immigration debate. Gloria Borger is a sensible and seasoned voice we all have heard on CBS. The article in the upcoming issue of US News & World Report is a compelling piece for those who need solace. Here are some excerpts. Take time to read the full article and enrich yourself. Let's me know your feelings about this. Thanks - learning01

Profiles in Courage--Not!
By Gloria Borger
4/24/06


....
Congress goes home for its spring break, unable to come to any agreement on an immigration bill. Both sides--albeit for different reasons--figured it was OK.
.................
As it turns out, the naysayers--and their political calculations--are dead wrong. If ever there was a time when Congress proved itself to be the nation's greatest lagging indicator, this is it:
........
In fact, polls show that most Americans--74 percent, according to CBS News--think that illegal immigrants should be able to stay and work in this country, with these caveats: You pay a fine, pay any back taxes you may owe, learn to speak English, have no criminal record. Eminently, eminently sensible.

It's ironic, in a way, that George W. Bush's Republican Party should come to this. After all, the president's guest-worker program is a sane approach to the problem--and he never called immigrants felons. Bush received 44 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2004--which is double what Republicans received in 1996.
People are growing more and more weary of the way their elected officials do business--with more focus on the politics of the problem than on the problem itself. They're sick of the tone of American politics, and of political cycles that produce opportunists, not problem solvers. Here's the unequivocal evidence: When CBS asked Americans if Congress is actually accomplishing anything, 67 percent say it's doing less than usual. That accounts for the dismal 27 percent congressional approval rating. Members of Congress may complain at having to run with an enormously unpopular president (now at 37 percent in the polls), but they're not exactly getting kudos from the voters, either.

Read it here in full at US News & World Report:

[MerciesOfInjustices]

An interesting analysis of the state of (in)security at US-Mexico Borders has been written by Walter Ewing who is an anthropologist working with the Immigration Policy Center of the American Immigration Law Foundation.

The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) is dedicated exclusively to the analysis of the economic, social, demographic, fiscal, and other impacts of immigration on the United States. The IPC is a division of the American Immigration Law Foundation, a nonprofit, tax-exempt educational foundation under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.

http://www.ailf.org/ipc/border_insecurity_spring06.pdf

Interesting points for us -

• Border security without Guest worker program will fail (- so pass our Bill)
• the Federal Government persists in imposing numerical caps and other restrictions on immigration that were formulated in 1960s (so time to change the numerical caps, but not 'soft'caps)

Here is their gist of this article -

BORDER INSECURITY:
U.S. Border-Enforcement Policies and National Security


Since 9/11, concern has mounted among policymakers and law-enforcement authorities that foreign terrorists affiliated with al Qaeda might use Mexico as a transit point to enter the United States, relying on the same people-smuggling networks as undocumented immigrants and becoming lost in the large undocumented flow. Some lawmakers have voiced fears that terrorists might be among the growing number of undocumented non-Mexicans crossing the southern border, although these Other Than Mexicans (OTMs) come principally from Central and South America. There is no evidence this has happened, despite suggestions by several lawmakers that the extremely small number of Arab and Muslim OTMs apprehended at the border constitutes a threat to national security.


Ironically, the U.S. government’s efforts to stem undocumented immigration by fortifying the U.S.-Mexico border have increased the profitability of the people-smuggling business and fostered greater sophistication in the smuggling networks through which a foreign terrorist might enter the country. U.S. national security would be better served if undocumented labor migration were taken out of the border-security equation by reforming the U.S. immigration system to accommodate U.S. labor demand. In the process, fewer immigrants would try to enter the country without authorization, the market for people smugglers would be undercut, and foreign terrorists would be deprived of the large undocumented flows and smuggling infrastructure that might aid their entry into the United States. Moreover, the U.S. Border Patrol could focus more on finding terrorists and less on apprehending jobseekers.

Among the findings of this report:
Immigrant smuggling across the U.S.-Mexico border is a growth industry. The share of undocumented immigrants apprehended along the southern border who reportedly were smuggled into the United States rose from 5.5 percent in Fiscal Year (FY) 1992 to 22.2 percent in FY 2004.


The OTM share of apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico border rose from 1.1 percent in FY 1997 to 5.8 percent in FY 2004 and then, according to preliminary estimates, spiked to 13.2 percent in FY 2005. More than three-quarters of OTMs are from Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala.


The largest increases in OTM apprehensions at the southern border since 1998 have occurred among citizens of Honduras, El Salvador, and Brazil, none of which is a likely source of terrorists bent on attacking the United States.


"From FY 1999 through FY 2004, apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico border of OTMs from Middle Eastern, North African, and South Asian countries of "special interest" to national security amounted to only 0.02 percent of all apprehensions and 0.7 percent of all OTM apprehensions. The number of such apprehensions declined after 2001.


Until lawmakers create new avenues for both permanent and temporary immigration that are realistic and flexible, U.S. national security will continue to be undermined by border-enforcement efforts that divert labor migration through undocumented channels and into the hands of people smugglers.
Read the entire report at: http://www.ailf.org/ipc/border_insecurity_spring06.pdf

[learning01]

In "How to Lose the Brain Race" (Op-Ed, April 10), Steven Clemons and Michael Lind argue that my additions to the immigration reform package "sent a message to the rest of the world: send us your brawn, not your brains."

In truth, I support a balanced policy — including an agriculture workers program and increasing numbers of high-tech visas.

The agriculture industry cannot today hire the American workers it needs. That's why I sponsored a bipartisan amendment providing undocumented agriculture workers with an opportunity to earn a green card if they continue working in agriculture. This program would provide them an opportunity to come out of the shadows.

I also support a program to allow foreign students to work in science, technology, engineering and math. But I believe we should ensure that American students get the training they need to compete in these fields.

So I proposed increasing the cost of the visas, with the funds going for scholarships for American students.

Mr. Clemons and Mr. Lind suggest a choice must be made between agriculture workers and foreign students. They are wrong. This is not an either-or issue.

Dianne Feinstein
U.S. Senator from California
Washington, April 11, 2006

Link:

Originally Posted by learning01

How to Lose the Brain Race
By STEVEN CLEMONS and MICHAEL LIND
clemons@newamerica.net and lind@newamerica.net
Published: April 10, 2006

IS the United States importing too many immigrant physicists and not enough immigrant farm workers? You might think so, to judge from two provisions that Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, added to the comprehensive immigration reform package that just fell apart in the Senate.

Read it in full at NYT (no login required):

Also here at New America Foundation

[katrina]

Originally Posted by learning01

So I proposed increasing the cost of the visas, with the funds going for scholarships for American students.

Dianne Feinstein
U.S. Senator from California
Washington, April 11, 2006

Link:

They charge each H1b Aplicant and H1b Extension $1000 dollar (recently they even increase it to $1500) fund that supposely go to scholarship for American Students. Is there any report that showed where the funds actually go or distributed so far ?

[learning01]

Your point may be valid in another context; let's stay focussed. Let's see how she speaks about increasing legal immigration visa numbers and what does about it.
You must understand that my posting of this rebuttal is her very own vocal support for increasing the legal agri worker visas and legalizing illegal workers in those areas. To the best of my knowledge, she has not come out more forcefully in the SJC hearings and senate proceedings compared to her rebuttal in the LTE.

Originally Posted by katrina

They charge each H1b Aplicant and H1b Extension $1000 dollar (recently they even increase it to $1500) fund that supposely go to scholarship for American Students. Is there any report that showed where the funds actually go or distributed so far ?

[learning01]

H-1B FEES PAID BY U.S. COMPANIES HAVE FUNDED 40,000 MATH AND SCIENCE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR U.S. STUDENTS; FEE TOTALS EXCEED $1 BILLION SINCE 1999
What's a quote without a link; here it is

Originally Posted by katrina

They charge each H1b Aplicant and H1b Extension $1000 dollar (recently they even increase it to $1500) fund that supposely go to scholarship for American Students. Is there any report that showed where the funds actually go or distributed so far ?

[swarnapuri]

Rediff : http://ia.rediff.com/money/2006/apr/...q=bp&file=.htm

[raydhan]

Nothing to do with us, but maybe worthwhile to some. Employees and employer (bosses) both arrested.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/04/20/im...ids/index.html

[learning01]

Note: If I am the copywriter, my title would be 'Congressman Tom Tancredo bullies Senators and Congressmen' - learning01
.............
Colorado's Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo is leading a letter campaign this week. In the letter sent to Ensign he said, "You are one of the swing senators who could tip the balance towards either enforcment-first, or amnesty."

Tancredo, "We have written letters to the media in those states and asked constituents to please contact their senators and to get them in line behind an enforcement first bill."

Nevada's construction boom has drawn thousands of illegal aliens looking for work, and critics say they've cost Nevada taxpayers millions.

Ensign is up for re-election in November.

Link to news report at KRNV

[learning01]

Senate candidates discuss key issues
By Christine Buttorff
News Correspondent

Showing a politically savvy appreciation for an audience of local business leaders, Tennessee’s four remaining U.S. Senate candidates Wednesday blasted policies that have led to a massive federal deficit, cited the need for affordable energy and urged more math and science education during a spirited debate at the Hermitage Hotel downtown.

Former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker said reform to ensure legal immigration is important and that the country should allow more visas to highly skilled workers

Link at Nashville City Paper:

[willgetgc2005]

US high-tech jobs on upswing

Meenakshi Ganjoo in Silicon Valley | April 20, 2006 12:59 IST

In a reversal of a four-year trend, employment in the US high-tech industry grew by one per cent in 2005 adding 61,000 jobs in the field, according to a report released on Thursday.
According to a report by American Electronics Association, a trade group that follows economic developments in the electronics industry, about 61,000 net jobs were added in the high-tech industry in 2005 to reach a total 5.6 million in the country.

US high-tech exports gained four per cent, for a total of $199 billion in 2005. Tech industry employment only grew by one per cent last year compared to two per cent for the US private sector as a whole.

"To promote the creation of high-paying technology jobs for the future, we need to address the competitiveness issues facing our country, today," said William T. Archey, president and CEO of AeA.

"This means that all Americans need to recognise that we live in an increasingly competitive world. To prepare ourselves for this challenge, we need to invest in long-term basic research, particularly in the physical sciences," Archey said.

"We need to reform our visa system so that the best and the brightest individuals come and stay in the United States, creating companies, products, wealth, and jobs. And most importantly, we need dramatic improvements in our educational system, so that our children are prepared to compete in an economy that is knowledge based and driven by technology," he added.

In recognising these competitiveness trends, Cyberstates 2006 shows that unemployment rates for most tech professions fell in 2005.

For example, the unemployment rate for electrical engineers was 1.5 per cent, the lowest rate in three years. These high-paid jobs are expected to grow significantly over the next 10 years. Nearly 1 million new computer specialists will be needed, as well as nearly 200,000 new engineers.

In specific sectors, the high-tech manufacturing industry added 3,300 net jobs in 2005, the first time tech manufacturing employment has increased since 2000.

Similarly, software services and engineering and tech services employment was up in 2005 for the second year in a row. This job growth is positive news for the US economy as tech industry jobs earn 85 per cent more than the average private sector job.

The report also found that after growing in 2004, venture capital investment in the technology industry fell by five percent in 2005. This was in part attributable to a decline in venture capital investments in software.

In California, widely considered the epicentre of the US tech industry, job loss slowed. In 2004, the latest year for which state data is available, high tech lost only 10,600 jobs, compared to a loss of 67,800 jobs in 2003.

The report also confirmed that California continues to lead the nation by most high-tech industry metrics. California tech companies report the largest payrolls of technology employers nationwide, and California tech workers had the highest average wage in the United States.

"California remains a fertile environment for new ideas and new technology companies," said Tim Guertin, president and CEO, Varian Medical Systems.