It’s a sad day but for now the blog will go on hiatus while I and my colleagues realign our priorities for covering this vital beat.

That is, of course, corporate speak for “figure out what to do next.”

Not to worry though, we will still cover immigration and the all-important issue of illegal immigration at our sister blog “Total Buzz”.

We will also welcome your comments there and on immigration stories which will appear on our Politics and Government page.

Finally, because we value your input and the lively discussions you engage in, I invite you to write to me at immigration@ocregister.com  and let me know what stories, issues and events you would like to see on our pages.

Ciao for now,

Julie Gallego

Politics editor.

Post from: Immigration Blog

“The significant reduction in long-pending FBI name checks will result in improved service for USCIS customers,” USCIS Ombudsman Michael Dougherty said in a news release just issued. “Congress provided the necessary funding for USCIS and the FBI to complete a larger percentage of FBI name checks in a timely manner.  We are happy to see significant progress is being made.” 
 
According to Dougherty, there were 269,943 name checks pending on May 6, 2008.  There are 95,449 pending as of August 12, 2008. He discusses USCIS’ performance in his annual report.
 
USCIS now anticipates that by the end of this month, naturalization application processing times will average 10-12 months nationally. President Bush has set six months as an acceptable waiting time.
 
Average processing times significantly increased after the surge in immigration filings in the summer of 2007.  From June 2007 to August 2007, USCIS received nearly 3 million applications, compared to 1.8 filings during the same period in the previous year. In FY 2007, USCIS received 1.4 million naturalization applications, nearly double the annual volume.
 

Post from: Immigration Blog

New polls show Latino voters in four swing states connect immigration reform with improving the national economy. The majority of Latino voters in Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado and Florida see illegal immigrants as vital to the U.S. economy polls say.

The research, released Tuesday, was conducted by Sergio Bendixen who does Hispanic public opinion research in the U.S. and Latin America. The research was funded by the New Democratic Network, a Democratic Party think tank.

A majority of all voters said they support immigration reform that, among several other things, strengthens border security and provides illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.

The majority of Latino voters in three of the four states say they would vote for Sen. Barack Obama. In Florida, the Latino vote is split for Sen. John McCain and Obama.

Research also says a majority of voters in those battleground states think illegal immigrants are taking jobs nobody else wants to do.

The most important issue for Latino voters polled in June 2008, like all voters, was the economy according to Matt Barreto’s research, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Washington.

He predicts that more than 9 million Latino’s will vote for president this November. Almost 6 million Latino’s voted for president in 2000. 

Post from: Immigration Blog

The raids left a big gap at the plant — half the workforce – and others have stepped in to take their place.

If you’ve been following the story, you may be interested to hear this NPR clip, about what’s happened to the wave of replacement workers, mostly Somali refugees. Many of the Somalis have quit, and others have been fired.

Taking their place are workers from the Midwest, NPR reports, some of whom have criminal records.

“They treat us like illegal immigrants,” said one of the new, American workers, of the living conditions arranged for him.

Related stories:

• At Iowa meatpacking plant, new workers complain

Post from: Immigration Blog

The tunnel — which has an elevator, lighting, and ventilation — stretches 494 feet, from a house near the U.S.-Mexico border to within 130 feet of la frontera.

A spokesman for the Baja California Secretariat of Public Safety says the tunnel likely has links to organized crime, and is designed to smuggle drugs, people or weapons.

At least 75 clandestine, underground tunnels have been found since the early 1990s, according to the story.

This makes us wonder, with current plans to extend the border fence, if we’ll be seeing more of these tunnels soon. What do you think?

Related stories:

• 8 arrested after tunnel discovered near border
• Border watch groups stay on the job to fight illegal immigration

Post from: Immigration Blog

The 2008 GOP Platform is crystal clear:

“We oppose amnesty,” the document reads. “The rule of law suffers if government policies encourage or reward illegal activity.”  

The Arizona senator and Republican presidential nominee worked with Democrats on a failed immigration reform package that would have included a path toward citizenship for those here illegally.

McCain has distanced himself from his support of amnesty during the presidential race, though his call for comprehensive reform re-surfaced in recent months.

“I don’t want to fail again to achieve comprehensive immigration reform,” McCain told The National Council on La Raza in July.

“We must prove we have the resources to secure our borders and use them, while respecting the dignity and rights of citizens and legal residents of the United States. When we have achieved our border security goal, we must enact and implement the other parts of practical, fair and necessary immigration policy.”

Related Stories:

• Republican Platform Differs From McCain on Immigration, Climate
• Republican National Convention Passes 2008 GOP platform
• Remarks by John McCain at the 2008 National Council of La Raza Convention
  

Post from: Immigration Blog

As Hurricane Gustav drew near, Immigrations and Customs officials recieved calls from New Orleans churches wondering if immigration rules would be enforced during the evacuation. Many immigrants were reluctant to board the evacuation buses, ABC news reported.

ICE said that immigration laws would not be enforced during the evacuation.

Related stories:

• Immigration: No Enforcement During Evac

Post from: Immigration Blog

At least 57 people under the age of 18, including some as young as 13, worked at Agriprocessors, in Postville, Iowa, NPR reported Monday.  

The May ICE raid in Postville has been very controversial, especially after an interpreter who helped in the aftermath of the raid wrote a tell-all essay about what he saw there. The interpreter claimed that the illegal immigrants were treated unfairly.

Related stories:

• Iowa plant charged with hiring minors
• Inhumane treatment of illegal immigrants?

Post from: Immigration Blog

Mishandling of the immigration issue could swing Hispanic voters, who helped elect George W. Bush, away from John McCain and toward Barack Obama, according to the story.

McCain once championed comprehensive immigration reform, but backed away from that stance in the presidential primary – presumably to avoid alienating Republicans who don’t want to see amnesty for people here illegally. 

While the change may appeal to some, McCain has already alienated anti-illegal immigration activists in Orange County. These folks tend to favor Libertarian Bob Barr or Republican Ron Paul, who they see as tougher on illegal immigration.

But with the economy struggling, we wonder how great a role immigration will really play in the presidential election. What do you think? We’d like to know.

Related stories:

• Dems see immigration as key to some battlegrounds
• Latino voters favor Obama, not McCain
• O.C. anti-illegal immigration activists prefer Ron Paul, Bob Barr
• Poll: Will Bob Barr call John McCain to lose?

Post from: Immigration Blog