9-11 Victim Adjusted by CIS

Feds to dead 9/11 victim: Your green card is approved...

Yahoo! News - U.S. Immigration Could Spell Big Business

Yahoo! News - U.S. Immigration Could Spell Big Business

The New York Times > Washington > Man in the News: Nominee Is Hard Charger on Legal War on Terror

The New York Times > Washington > Man in the News: Nominee Is Hard Charger on Legal War on Terror

The New York Times' objective analysis of Judge Michael Chertoff's appointment by President Bush for Homeland Security's top job.

2005 Immigration New Year Resolutions

The new year brings out our hopes for the next year expressed as resolutions. Personally, it may represent a personal goal or achievement- losing weight or quitting smoking, getting more exercise or spending more time with the family.

This year, 2005 represents a watershed year for US immigration policies with deep divisions between the political parties and, more importantly, between President Bush, who seeks immigration reform and a guest worker program, and conservative Rebublican Congressional leaders who have drastically different opinions of what "reforms" are needed.

For those of us who work in the US immigration system every day there are needed policy reforms that should come from the Department of Homeland Security for the CIS- the benefits side of the agency. I am starting 2005 by listing my "resolutions" for the CIS.

1. Resolve to end the anti-business policies that directly affect your backlog. CIS Director Eduardo Aquirre will never eliminate backlogs by simply denying cases without adequate notice. The true culprit is not a request for more evidence it is the anti-business culture among CIS officers that assumes they know more about what's good for America's businesses than the CEOs.

2. Resolve to work with the Small Business Administration to give small businesses equal access to immigration benefits. CIS has ignored the needs and rights of this important part of the US economy for years. Real economic growth cannot occur without fair and realistic adjudication of small business petitions by the CIS.

Of course there are other resolutions that the CIS should consider. But I think that if Director Aguirre really wants to make a posititve impact on the agency and its adjuciations these two resolutions would take care of a lot of other problems.

And yes I want to drop some weight and exercise more in 2005.

-Charles Miller