Guantanamo Bay or “Gitmo”, as it is more infamously known, is in preparation for more human detainees. However this time, it is not an influx of terror suspects but it will be the refugees from the earthquake stricken nation of Haiti.

The quake, which hit Haiti on 12 January, has left over 200,000 dead and over 300,000 injured. An estimated 250,000 homes have also been destroyed resulting in over a million people being rendered homeless. Aid has flooded in from all parts of the world, but the scale of the devastation is such that the efforts at this stage are relegated to stopgap measures. Even basic needs such as drinking water and sanitation are in short supply.

In light of this, U.S. authorities are expecting vast numbers to flee the nation in search of greener pastures, namely the United States. Those who are intercepted at sea will be held at a special site on the opposite side of the Gitmo base that holds almost 200-suspected terrorists. Tents, toilets and supplies have already been set up to hold the influx of Haitians. Strangely, Gitmo may feel like Déjà vu for some of the refugees, where thousands of Haitian boat people were held in the early 1990’s.

The Gitmo base has been prominent in the effort to aid Haiti as it has been used to transport personnel as well as supplies to the grief stricken areas.

Only 38 words were devoted to the subject of immigration reform in President Obama’s State of the Union address. The reasons for this are many and valid but overall what it means to the millions of illegal immigrants in the U.S. is that reform will not be a priority, at least for this year.

However, that has not stopped lawmakers in Idaho from pushing their ideas to solve certain illegal immigrant issues that affect the U.S. economy. They are proposing two bills that will hold employers punishable by law for employing illegal immigrants as workers. The rationale behind these bills is that if employers are afraid to utilize illegal immigrants this in turn would cause the illegal immigrants to leave the state for “greener pastures”.

Another of the proposed enforcements is the strict adherence to English in the written Driver’s License tests with no interpreters allowed. This would not only affect illegal immigrants but also those who have obtained legal residency but are not thoroughly proficient in the language. Although concerns have arisen over the practicality, functionality and cost-to-state of these laws, many expect one of the bills to be put through. In the face of high unemployment throughout the United States, any vacancies that open up will be a victory for the party that created it. With fines for employers that range from $50 to $50,000 and penalties that range from two-year jail sentences to the revoking of business licenses, illegal immigrants will soon be facing a dilemma.
Both Democrats and Republicans have bills awaiting approval from the Senate.

President Obama is pushing for changes in Immigration reform. One of the suggested amendments is what is known as “The Dream Act”. This is an idea put forward by a few people including Senators Lugar & Durbin from Indiana and Illinois respectively.

The Dream Act proposes that certain individuals be allowed to gain eligibility for U.S. citizenship if stipulated criteria are met. The act aims to allow the children of illegal immigrants who have received education in U.S. schools to become permanent residents of the country. To achieve this they should have entered the country before they turned 16 and lived there for a minimum of 5 years without any interruption. They should also possess a good command of the English language.

Once these criteria are satisfied, the next step is to enroll in higher education or the U.S. Military. At this point, the candidate can apply for conditional residency. To progress to the next stage they must obtain an associate’s degree; if they fail to do so, they can still progress if they obtain a two year equivalent within a six year period starting from the initial application date. The act suggests that 65,000 applicants be allowed to become conditional residents every year with every chance of them receiving permanent residency and citizenship thereafter.

The proposal is designed to help those who were brought over to the U.S. when they were very young and have no desire to return to their own country, due to living a better part of their lives in the U.S. and being accustomed to the way of life they are now living.

The history of the United States Border Patrol stretches as far back as 1928. Even then, illegal immigration was a problem and Congress decided to take action against it by passing an act that created the Border Patrol. The initial mandate given to this force was to put a stop to illegal immigrants, a mandate that exists to this date. The Border Patrol comes under the command of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which in turn, is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

Although it started with only 450 officers, it has now grown into a 12,000 strong force and is still expanding. The goal is to reach 18,000 officers, which is the current number in active duty. The short fall of 6,000 guards is made up of National Guard troops until such time that the Border Patrol is able to fill the void. Currently, it is a good time to join the Border Patrol, as they are on a drive to recruit more officers. However, it is not an easy task to join the force especially when it comes to the initial exam. Statistics denote that only 40 % pass this exam and only 3.3 % of entrants make it through to the Border Patrol Academy.

If you are serious about joining, you should put some effort into researching the various requirements outlined by the Border Patrol. One crucial exam you might want to concentrate on is the Artificial Language Test, which has a high rate of failure associated with it.

The E3, H1B or L1 Visas are the usual types of visas under which people apply for employment purposes. As long as the potential employer has agreed to sponsor the candidate, the rest of the visa process is generally a walk in the park. Occasionally though, the interview hits a snag and the term “administrative processing” rears its ugly head.

The snag could be something as simple as forgetting to bring some documents or having insufficient cash to pay relevant fees. However, these problems can be sorted out by scheduling another interview with the consular officer after finding the necessary material. However, condition 221(g) which takes care of these administrative processing cases will be harsh on candidates who have lied about their experience, qualifications, circumstances of employment, etc. Such dishonesty will only lead to an instant denial of a visa.

Bu there are many cases where the candidate has not lied but administrative processing has caused them to not receive their visa. This is because condition 221(g) is not a clear cut directive. The office can deny a visa based on:

1. Doubts due to the company not having issued sponsorship to any foreign national before.

2. Doubts about the suitability of the candidate for the job if the candidate is overqualified for it. (e.g.: The candidate possesses a degree but the job requires a non-professional.)

3. Doubts raised by the candidate’s character, missing documents, body language, lack of confidence in answers, etc.

4. Doubts about the dependents submitted on the visa application form.

This is where the U.S. Immigration systems falls short and becomes unfair for those who try to get into the country in a legal manner. Therefore, a revamp of the system should be looked at to avoid such grey areas and to speed up processing and be more accountable for decisions. All this will only go towards aiding the halt of illegal immigration.

The story around town seems to be that illegal immigrants or undocumented workers receive social security benefits. The story doing the rounds is false. Talk show hosts such as Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage not only seem to be part of spreading the untrue piece of information, it also leads to the message being passed around by word of mouth, via emails and online petitions.

Illegal immigrants apparently get in on the Social Security’s administrative system and receive benefits. Not true. Undocumented workers will never be entitled to claim social security benefits. Illegal immigrants are known to provide false social security numbers in order to prove they are documented workers, thus giving them to chance to start working. In October 2005, the earnings on which workers contribute towards Social Security racked up $520 billion.

However, people still seem to believe that illegal immigrants are entitled to Social Security benefits. One fact that probably pushed the rumour is the vote in 2006 for an amendment to immigration reform laws. Even though the amendment was passed by Senate with a 50-49 vote, the bill died and there ended the amendment. Therefore, the truth is that illegal immigrants will only have a right to Social Security once they are granted amnesty, and when that does happen, they will have a right to Social Security benefits for prior work done in the country.

Undocumented workers also contribute towards Social Security taxes - the figure stands at a whopping $6 billion annually. The National Immigration Law Center says the money is directed towards the Earnings Suspense File, which is a repository for Social Security taxes which are paid by illegal immigrants who have either used false identities, forged document or incorrect Social Security numbers.