Immigration Alert
From: Jim Hacking
Webster Groves, Missouri
Monday, 6 a.m.
Good morning, James, We hope you are finding these immigration alerts helpful and informative. Â If not, please feel free to unsubscribe at the bottom of this page.
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3 undocumented activists get arrested to challenge detention conditions
The American Prospect published a hair-raising tale of 3 undocumented immigrants who orchestrated their own arrest so as to allow them to inspect and protest the living conditions for some of our nation’s undocumented.  A radio version of the story appeared on This American Life as well.  These activists are angry with the deportation policies of President Obama, who has deported more people than any President in U.S. history.  The piece is a stark reminder that even as the President’s administration has made life a bit easier for some immigrants, we still have a long, long way to go.
Iowa Pastor Speaks Out After Being Deported
The President has long claimed that the administration’s priority in deportations is getting those who pose a threat to public safety sent back home.  The anecdotal (and statistical) evidence do not seem to support that decision.  Case in point - Rev. Max Villatoro who since receiving a DUI in the late 1990s has become a pastor and built a Mennonite congregation in Iowa City, Iowa.  He was recently deported back to Honduras.  In addition to expressing his dismay about being deported, he also called for better living conditions for immigration detainees.  He discussed being in a jail with 200 people and only having four sinks and four toilets.
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Controversial investor visa program under heavy fire in Congress
The EB-5 investor visa program allows overseas investors to invest at least $500,000 in a U.S. company and therefore become eligible for lawful permanent resident status if the venture creates at least 10 new jobs for American workers.  The Inspector General recently issued a scathing report that suggested that the program’s former head, Alejandro Mayorkas, showed preferential treatment to wealthy investors, allowing fraudsters, money launderers and child pornographers to obtain a green card through the program.  Apparently, Mr. Mayorkas intervened in specific cases, leading to resentment within the agency.
Is the Midwest Ready for President’s Executive Action on Immigration?
While President Obama’s executive action on immigration remains stalled in federal court, a new report from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs suggests that Midwestern states are not uniformly prepared to implement the changes, thereby jeopardizing $650 million in additional tax revenues.  The report estimates that 579,000 immigrants in the Midwest are eligible for the program and that this would generate $652.3 million in tax revenue over the next 5 years.  The authors of the report believe that those who serve the immigrant population are not prepared to process the necessary applications.  But don’t worry - we at the Hacking Immigration Law stand ready to assist if the plan ever comes into effect.
That’s it for this week.