FYI

Members of the Sierra Club, one of the nation's leading environmental organizations, voted in April to maintain neutrality on U.S. immigration policy, narrowly defeating an effort to develop a policy calling for reduced immigration as a means of slowing U.S. population growth to preserve the environment. The referendum, which generated intense debate, was defeated 60 percent to 40 percent as the group voted to take no position on immigration but instead to work toward solving the root causes of global population growth. Proponents of reduced immigration levels said the vote was a victory for political correctness rather than a defeat for the immigration reform movement.

Earlier this month, the Republican Party of Texas adopted a plank as part of its platform calling for "returning immigration quotas to traditional levels in practice prior to 1965 of 300,000 per year or less." along with other measures concerning immigration, including: reclaiming control of international borders, screening immigrants for communicable diseases, and the end of birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens.

A controversial billboard near the California-Arizona border that declared California "The Illegal Immigration State" was taken down in late June after Latino activists threatened to destroy the sign. The billboard, paid for by the Orange County-based California Coalition for Immigration Reform, which co-sponsored Proposition 187, read "Welcome to California, the Illegal Immigration State. Don't Let This Happen to Your State." Mario Obledo, president of the California Coalition of Hispanic Organizations, had threatened to set fire to the sign. Barbara Coe, president of the Coalition for Immigration reform condemned Obledo's threats as "terrorist tactics" and vowed to replace the sign as well as add others.

Wang Wu Dong, a passenger on the Golden Venture five years ago when the alien-smuggling ship struck a sand bar within sight of New York City, was apprehended again in early June when the aptly-named Oops II ran aground in an affluent New Jersey beach community about 50 miles south of New York. Mr. Wang, about 22 other illegal Chinese immigrants, and the boat's captain were left to wander through the darkened streets of the community after the captain apparently became lost in a dense fog. Mr. Wang left the United Stated voluntarily two years ago after giving up his asylum claim based on forced sterilization of his wife. His lawyer said that the asylum laws have changed significantly since Mr. Wang's last attempt and that he has a good case now.

Border Patrol agents arrested two Miami men and seized their speedboat on June 24 in what authorities said may be the first concrete evidence that smugglers are behind a sharp rise in the number of Cuban refugees coming ashore in South Florida. The men were charged with alien smuggling after their boat was stopped at sea with 37 Cubans on board. The Border Patrol believes that several rings of smugglers are operating, taking advantage of calm seas brought by warm summer weather to ferry illegal immigrants to the United States.

Capitol Currents

Despite intense lobbying from high-tech industries, at press time Congress had yet to take final steps to expand the H-1B program, which provides visas for skilled foreign workers. High-tech companies back the bill that the Senate passed in May (S 1723), which raises the cap from 65,000 to a maximum of 115,000 visas in each of the next four years, but would prefer no bill to the House version taking shape (HR 3736), which includes substantial new protections to ensure that U.S. workers are not harmed by a flood of foreign workers.

House Judiciary Committee immigration subcommittee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) seems intent on keeping the U.S. worker protection programs in the bill and has pointed out that some of the major corporations pushing for expansion of the visa program have announced layoffs in recent months.

With high-tech executives angry at the delay, House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) was trying to broker a compromise between the chairmen of the House and Senate immigration subcommittees.

l President Clinton signed a $1.9 billion bill (S 1150) on June 23 restoring food stamps to about 250,000 legal immigrants who were made ineligible by the 1996 welfare overhaul, which he also signed. Clinton said the restoration "rights a wrong."

l The National Visa Center at Portsmouth, N.H., has registered and notified the 90,000 winners of the Fiscal Year 1999 diversity lottery. Starting with Fiscal Year 1999, the program will make 50,000 permanent resident visas available to persons from countries with low rates of immigration. Previously, the total was 55,000 but the Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NCARA), passed by Congress in November 1997, stipulates that 5,000 of the diversity visas be made available each year for use under the NCARA program. The top ten countries for 1999 are: Ghana, with 5,531 winners, followed by Nigeria, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Albania, Russia, Bulgaria, Romania, Egypt, and Pakistan. Ireland, the initial target of the program, is in 26th place, with only 652 winners.

The House of Representatives voted on May 21 to allow members of the armed forces to assist the INS and the Customs Service in patrolling and monitoring the U.S. border under certain circumstances. The provision was included in a $270 billion defense authorization bill (HR 3616) for Fiscal Year 1999.

Rep. James A. Traficant, Jr., (D-Ohio) sponsored the bill which would allow the Secretary of Defence, upon request from the INS or the Secretary of the Treasury, to assign members of the military to assist in preventing the entry of terrorists, drug traffickers, and illegal aliens into the United States as well as to assist the Customs Service in inspecting cargo, vehicles, and aircraft at ports of entry.

The provision requires that members of the armed forces be trained in issues in border enforcement before taking part in any such activities. In addition, the Attorney General or Secretary of the Treasury must notify the governor of the state in which the deployment is to occur as well as the local governments in the deployment area.