Obama Reforms Immigration

Things are moving pretty rapidly on the immigration front – and President Obama’s leadership has much to do with it.

The President has called for a bipartisan meeting on Monday with members of both houses of Congress to explore effective ways to speed immigration reform forward this year.

Meanwhile, this week, hundreds of reenergized advocates across the country are organizing a series of events to launch the Reform Immigration for America campaign, a broad-based national effort to fix the nation’s broken immigration system through a comprehensive legislative approach.

“The reality is that the President wants immigration reform, the American people want immigration reform, and we are launching the Reform Immigration for America campaign to make it happen,” said Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, a nonpartisan group in Washington.

Two hundred organizations have signed on to the campaign that was announced Monday in more than 30 cities.

Locally, Make the Road New York – a grass-roots community group with offices in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island – and the New York Immigration Coalition announced their participation to an enthusiastic crowd gathered at the Prince George Ballroom in Manhattan.

“The room was completely full,” said Javier Valdés, of Make the Road by Walking. “There were more than 250 people, from labor leaders to business owners, from religious leaders to community organizers, pretty much the kind of coalition that will be needed to be effective.”

The local announcements were followed by a press conference held at the National Press Cub in Washington yesterday attended by a diverse coalition.

Groups such as the AFL-CIO, the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform, the SEIU, the National Council of La Raza, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the National Immigration Forum said they are optimistic Congress will pass an immigration reform law in the coming months.

The group’s leaders described “a new political reality” made up of “a united labor movement and a President committed to comprehensive reform,” as well as unprecedented voter mobilization and turnout in immigrant communities last November.

The also point to polls showing support for reform from at least 60% of American people, and the practical impossibility of deporting 12,000,000 people.

Also in Washington, a national summit bringing together 700 grass-roots advocates representing more than 35 states convened yesterday and will run through Friday.
A NATIONAL TOWN HALL meeting on Capitol Hill Thursday, focusing on the urgent need for comprehensive solutions to the immigration crisis, will include key members of Congress such as Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.), Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.), and immigration subcommittee chairwoman Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.). They are likely to be among those meeting with President Obama in a few days.

“The purpose of the summit is to prepare for the June 8 meeting,” Valdés said. “From that day on, we will have a lot of work ahead of us.”

Also, organizers said, the campaign is an effort to help support Obama and ensure that his promises of comprehensive immigration reform becomes legislative reality.
“The time to act is now, and we are committed to do all we can to help the President and Congress to make immigration reform a reality,” Valdés
said.aruiz@nydailynews.com

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/06/04/2009-06-04_finally_a_national_push_for_immigration_reform.html#ixzz0HZEpNnTn&C

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/06/04/2009-06-04_finally_a_national_push_for_immigration_reform.html

Rule Requiring Federal Contractors to Use E-Verify System Delayed

WASHINGTON  — Implementation of the final rule requiring federal contractors and subcontractors to begin using U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) E-Verify system has been delayed until Sept. 8, 2009.

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (collectively known as the Federal Acquisitions Regulatory Councils) will publish an amendment in the Federal Register on June 5, 2009, postponing the applicability of the final rule until Sept. 8, 2009.  The rule was first published on Nov. 14, 2008 requiring federal contractors and subcontractors to agree to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their employees.  

Source: www.uscis.gov

USCIS Begins Transfer of Historical A-Files to National Archives

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the National Archives and Records Administration took a major step today for personal, historical and genealogical research with a formal schedule to begin the transfer of alien registration files (A-files) for permanent retention at the National Archives.  Archival processing of approximately 135,000 files could be completed by next summer and available for public access.

The schedule was formalized in a signing ceremony at the National Archives in Washington.  Gregory B. Smith, Associate Director, USCIS and Chief, National Security and Records Verification Directorate, delivered the first files to Adrienne Thomas, Acting Archivist of the United States, who signed the new schedule. 

“Immigration is one of the most significant aspects of the American experience,” said Smith.  The information contained in the A-file is unique.  No other type of case file contains the same level of comprehensive personal data…especially concerning the alien’s interaction with USCIS and the former Immigration and Naturalization Service, and their request for resident status and/or citizenship.  This ensures that the records contained within the A-File will be retained forever in our National Archives – preserving a rich and important part of America’s immigration history.”

“These A-files are a key to unlocking the fascinating stories of millions of people who traveled to the United States in search of opportunity,” added Thomas.  “The National Archives is delighted that it will be able to safeguard the unique and important stories of brave men and women who left their homelands in search of a better life.”

The A-file is a series of records consisting of numbered files used to document the complete history of the interaction between an alien and the U.S. government.  The file is unique in that it not only contains routine demographic information, but may also include photographs, foreign birth certificates, marriage licenses, interview transcripts or actual recordings, and more.  Currently, USCIS maintains approximately 53 million A-files; of these, about 21 million have been retired to a Federal Records Center. 

Previously, the A-file was considered a ‘temporary record’ and could possibly have been disposed of 75 years from the date the file was retired to a Federal Records Center or 75 years from the date of last action.  Now, the A-file becomes a permanent record which will transfer to National Archives custody 100 years from the individual’s date of birth.  Newly-eligible files will be transferred to the National Archives every five years. 

After transfer to the National Archives, the majority of files will be housed at the National Archives in Kansas City.  Files on immigration through the port of San Francisco will be housed at the National Archives in San Francisco.  Once these records have been transferred, they will be available in the research rooms at these two National Archives facilities.  Copies will also be available through the mail.

Additional immigration-related information and links to resources geared specifically for genealogical research is available online from the Related Links of this page.

Source: www.uscis.gov