Backgrounder posted January 25, 2010 by Diem Nguyen, Jena Baker McNeill
Biometric Exit Programs Show Need for New Strategy to Reduce Visa Overstays
Abstract: Despite Congress's mandate in 2007 that the Department of Homeland Security track all foreign visitors biometrically by June 2009, DHS missed the deadline, and biometric exit, as opposed to the current biographic approach, has proved costly without adding much additional security. Following is a plan on how Congress can break the stalemate--and provide useful…
WebMemo posted May 13, 2009 by James Sherk, Diem Nguyen
Restricting H-1B Visas Is Bad for Business and the Economy
Reports have indicated that Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and
Dick Durbin (D-IL) plan to introduce a bill that would limit the
ability of companies to hire H-1B employees.[1] Arguing that H-1B
visa recipients are a threat to American workers, their proposal
would add new layers of regulation and procedures making it more
difficult for companies to hire…
WebMemo posted April 7, 2009 by Jena Baker McNeill, Diem Nguyen
Help the Economy and Federal Deficit by Raising H-1B Caps
On April 1 of each year, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) starts accepting applications for the H-1B visa.
For the past several years, the number of H-1B visa applications
has easily surpassed the annual cap of 65,000, sometimes in a
matter of days. Even with the economic downturn, the USCIS is still
expected to receive enough applications to…
WebMemo posted March 6, 2009 by Jena Baker McNeill, Diem Nguyen
U.S., Canada Working Together on Improving Border Security
On January 15, the United States Northern Command Joint Task
Force-North accidentally released to the public a briefing that
expressed concerns over terrorists entering the U.S. from Canada.
While the report was taken offline and out of public view shortly
thereafter, this briefing is one of many reports centered on
U.S./Canadian security policies, including a…
WebMemo posted March 6, 2009 by Jena Baker McNeill, Diem Nguyen
Enforcing Immigration Laws: State and Local Law Assistance Needed
On March 4, the House Homeland Security Committee held a hearing
on a GAO report related to oversight of 287(g), a program granting
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the ability to train
state and local police to enforce federal immigration laws. GAO
emphasized the need for such increased oversight to better define
the role of ICE and state and local law…
WebMemo posted February 20, 2009 by Jena Baker McNeill, Diem Nguyen
Reviewing DHS: The International Dimension of Homeland Security
Since her confirmation, the secretary of the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS), Janet Napolitano, has been working to
acquaint herself with the inner workings of DHS while developing
her policy priorities for this new Administration. On January 21,
she issued the first in a series of directives requiring DHS to
provide her with detailed information on the…
WebMemo posted October 30, 2008 by Diem Nguyen, James Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
Tackling Fraud in H-1B: Work Visas Need Sensible Oversight
In September, USCIS released the "H-1B Benefit Fraud and
Compliance Assessment," where it found that 51 of the 246 sampled
H-1B petitions (about 21 percent) were fraudulent. Some examples of
fraud are petitions from businesses that do not exist, employers
paying less than the required prevailing wage, or visa holders
working a different job than what was stated in…
Backgrounder posted September 30, 2008 by James Sherk, Diem Nguyen
Next Steps for Immigration and Border Security Reform: Restructuring the Work Visa
Last year, lawmakers on Capitol Hill tried and failed to pass comprehensive immigration and border security reform. The bill died largely because it tried to do too much. Granting amnesty to 12 million illegal aliens would cause rampant fraud and a tsunami of applications that would overwhelm America's already over-stretched and backlogged immigration services. Creating…
WebMemo posted April 28, 2008 by James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Diem Nguyen
The United States and Mexico: Helping One Another, HelpingOurselves
The United States and Mexico share almost 2,000 miles of border
and many of the same problems, including immigration challenges,
inadequate border security, and drug smuggling. The two nations do
not adequately collaborate to address these issues, despite common
goals: defeating the drug cartels, bringing economic development to
Mexico, and finding sensible and…
WebMemo posted April 17, 2008 by James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Diem Nguyen
Moving Forward to Secure the Border
Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff has issued two
waivers of laws hindering barrier construction and security
improvements on the border with Mexico. The Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) has already built 309 miles of border obstacles, and
these waivers will facilitate improvements on about 500 miles of
border infrastructure. One waiver addresses…