Indians grab maximum number of H-1B visas

On July 8, 2010, in Homeland Security News, Immigration, by admin

“Indian professionals grabbed one-third of the H-1B visas in 2009, even as there was a slump for the most coveted US work visas in the past two years.
For the second year in running, there appears to be a low key response to the US HS-1B visas with only 24,200 applications being received until July 2.
The [...]

Arizona governor signs immigration bill

On April 23, 2010, in Homeland Security News, Immigration, by admin

“Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill Friday that requires police in her state to determine whether a person is in the United States legally, which critics say will foster racial profiling but supporters say will crack down on illegal immigration.
The bill requires immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires [...]

Immigration sweep nets 280 with criminal records

On December 11, 2009, in Homeland Security News, Immigration, by admin

“Immigration agents arrested 280 people in California in their biggest push yet to round up suspected illegal immigrants with criminal records in local communities, authorities said Friday.
More than 400 agents and local law enforcement officers fanned out across the state in the three-day search led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
‘These are not people who we [...]

ICE to Audit 1,000 More Companies in Immigration Crackdown

On November 20, 2009, in Homeland Security News, Immigration, by admin

“Immigration enforcement officials said Thursday that they were expanding a program for auditing companies that might have hired illegal immigrants and had notified 1,000 companies this week that they would have to undergo such a review.”
(Source: ICE to Audit 1,000 More Companies in Immigration Crackdown – NYTimes.com)

Detroit-based task force targets crime spilling over U.S. border

On October 29, 2009, in Homeland Security News, Immigration, by admin

“The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement unveiled today a 50-member task force comprised of federal, state, local and Canadian agencies designed to combat cross-border crimes.
The Border Enforcement Security Task Force, or BEST, will focus on national security and terrorist threats, human smuggling and trafficking, contraband smuggling, money laundering, bulk cash smuggling, transnational gang activities and [...]

Napolitano: local partners essential in the fight against terrorism and border security

On October 6, 2009, in Homeland Security News, Immigration, by admin

“Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today delivered remarks at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference in Denver, Colo., emphasizing her commitment to enhanced information sharing with state and local law enforcement partners to combat threats of terrorism.
‘Effective information sharing is essential to our partnerships with state and local law [...]

At least 4 people shot in Mexico-U.S. border incident

On September 22, 2009, in Homeland Security News, Immigration, by admin

“The San Ysidro Port of Entry on the U.S.-Mexico border in California was temporarily closed Tuesday after four people were wounded by gunfire that erupted from three vans packed with than 70 people headed from Mexico toward the border, officials said.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent and a Customs and Border Protection officer also fired [...]

Feds to start immigration crackdown on contractors

On September 9, 2009, in Homeland Security News, Immigration, by admin

For federal contractors, it’s time to start checking whether employees are able to legally work in the United States.
Beginning Tuesday, the federal government is requiring federal contractors to use the E-Verify system to check the immigration and citizenship status of the people they hire and assign to new federal contracts.
“Don’t panic about this. You do [...]

What US Homeland Security collects about you

On September 9, 2009, in Homeland Security News, Immigration, by admin

Any time a person crosses the US border, the Department of Homeland Security assigns travelers with a “risk assessment” score to divine their likelihood of any involvement with a terrorist cell or criminal activity.
That score is calculated by feeding a large volume of personal information into an automated system (rather imposingly) called the “Automated Targeting [...]

Immigration official says agents will no longer have to meet quotas

On August 18, 2009, in Homeland Security News, Immigration, by admin

The head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Monday in Los Angeles that he has ended quotas on a controversial program designed to go after illegal immigrants with outstanding deportation orders.
John Morton, a career prosecutor who took over as assistant secretary of Homeland Security in May, said during a meeting with reporters that he planned [...]