"Rumor has it that 'Russian' businesses are recession-proof," says John Lisyanskiy, assistant to the New York City Council Speaker, "In practice, however, the saying is unfortunately false." more>

Recently "Brighton Beach" has found itself the center of attention among the Russian community. It has provoked heated arguments, socio-political action, and the possible formation of a new "Russian" organization. more>

Since President Obama took the White House, he has disappointed many and has forced many former opponents to change their opinions for the better. At the recent midterm elections, Americans voted for the opposition. But who did the Russians vote for and why? more>

The scandal arising from the arrest of 11 Russian spies and the failure of their absurd operation remains in the US media spotlight but no little attention has been given to possible effects on the Russian-American community. more>

Lawyers have varying attitudes towards undocumented immigrants. Some really do feel for them and support them. Others believe illegal immigrants are criminals and must therefore be sent back to their native countries.

VIDEO :: Conservative Law Professor Kris W. Kobach speaks with Glen Beck about illegal immigration.

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“Our company is full of foreigners: Chinese, Indians, Pakistanis,” a young Russian-speaking programmer who was educated in the United States and works at a reputable Manhattan company complained to me in a conversation. more>

As one of my colleagues joked gloomily, America’s economic crisis may have solved the illegal immigration problem that neither Capitol Hill nor the White House has had any success solving. Now the question is what effect will the mass exodus of people without papers have on the economic crisis? more>

The fate of undocumented high school graduates, brought to the United States when young, has again come up before the Senate. Arguments for and against opening a road to citizenship for them continue unabated. more>

Moses investigates government programs set up to give health care to undocumented immigrants and to incarcerate undocumented immigrants who have committed a crime, and looks at the cost to taxpayers. more>

There are many causes of the anti-immigration feelings that have recently swept across America. First of all, the majority of immigrants (both legal and illegal) are from Spanish-speaking countries. Many of our fellow citizens believe that they are changing the face of the country, giving it a "Latin" flavor. more>

The reactions to the more difficult naturalization test have been mixed in New York City’s Russian-American community. While some despair that the elderly will not pass, others say the difficulty will test the mettle of those who really want U.S. citizenship. more>

Many Russian-speaking Jews living in Brighton Beach and other neighborhoods densely populated by Russian speakers complain that the atmosphere in these areas has come to resemble the atmosphere in the Soviet Union. Specifically, people have begun to sense that half-forgotten anti-Semitism in the air. more>

“The dramatic economic success that New York has experienced over the past 40 years has been due to immigrant families,” said Professor Gary Gerstle of Vanderbilt University. more>

"I have no idea how to escape from this trap. It's a no-win situation. It's easier for the undocumented in this respect. At least they're not tied to a specific company. If their bosses harass them, they can look for another job," said Yuri Turkin, a Russian who came to the United States on a guest worker visa. more>

America’s ambiguous, paradoxical immigration policy received special attention at the National Immigration Forum briefing. “Our president is like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” said Marshall Fritz, who represented the American Immigration Association. “He wants to create a working program for foreigners, but at the same time he allows these workers to be hunted down and deported. more>

New York politicians and even its mayor take pride in the ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity of our city. However, leaders of immigrant communities like David Chan are not optimistic, believing that the city government and immigrants themselves must put forth more effort into Americanizing the latter. more>

An interview with an immigration judge has always been akin to Judgment Day for political asylum applicants. The 218 U.S. immigration judges handle almost 350,000 cases annually – over half of these concern political asylum more>

Advertisements for work in massage parlors, night clubs and spas in immigrant papers often target vulnerable newly arrived immigrants, who find out, after being hired, that they will be working as modern-day sex slaves. more>

Why should tenants pay the superintendent or workers to do work that the landlords are required by law to do for free? A new agreement by city agencies and banks now hold landlords accountable. more>

Undocumented female immigrants frequently portray themselves as victims of domestic violence in order to legalize their stay in the United States. Yet, female immigrants living in the country legally and who are victims of domestic violence do not always receive the benefits to which they are entitled by law. A new lawsuit filed against the Human Resources Administration in Manhattan seeks to address this situation. more>

Was it possible to avoid the scale of the current destruction or minimize the number of Katrina’s victims? Were the efforts to rescue victims, provide aid and restore order to the region adequate? What measures must be taken so as not to repeat what happened? The Russian Bazaar speaks with our leaders. more>

In a recent suit filed against New York State, the State Supreme Court ruled in favor of elderly immigrants who lost their Supplemental Security Income due to the bureaucratic sluggishness of immigration authorities to process their citizenship papers. more>

Those who support the measure charge that opponents lack self-preservation instincts, not to mention common sense. Supporters of civil liberties, on their side, charge those in favor of the searches with ignorance of history, claiming similar “innocent” security measures heralded many a totalitarian regime. What do our city politicians think? more>

In spite of the myths existing about Russians, and in spite of their own Soviet-born complexes, Russian immigrants actively contribute to charitable organizations. Contributions are made not only by the young Americanized community members, but also by the elderly and the poor. more>

The welfare reform signed into federal law on August 22, 1996 hurt elderly refugees, who arrived in the United States after that date. It gives the elderly Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for seven years; however, thereafter, to continue getting assistance they must be U.S. citizens. No one took into account the application processing delays at immigration services. more>

Eight Russian-Jewish talking heads from the media reflect on their community’s political traditions and legacies of back home. more>

Writer Leah Moses talks to editors and journalists to get a gauge on the inner workings of the Russian-American press. more>

Medicaid already takes up a lion’s share of the New York State budget, and in the coming decade spending is predicted to double. Can medical services for its recipients be saved given the financial crunch? more>

At the first annual "Russian Heritage Week," hosted by Mayor Bloomberg in June, the best and brightest of our community were paraded around as modern-day immigrant success stories. No longer the stereotypes of petty businessmen from Brighton Beach, brutal mobsters and gorgeous blondes of easy virtue, it seems our community finally made it in America. We were officially baptized as Russian —the only problem is, that is not who we are. more>

“Narodnaya Volna” [The People’s Radio Station], once the only listening option for Russian immigrants in the northeast, is faced with new competition. To fight back, the station increased its airtime and began diversifying its programming. Reporter Leah Moses sits down with the station’s owner for a glimpse inside the complex struggle to hang on to its opinionated audience. more>

New Visions for Public Schools, an organization working with Mayor Bloomberg and the School’s Chancellor, Joel Klein, is opening small, progressive and potentially successful high schools in the city, which will gradually replace failing schools. more>

Every year the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) does a day of action in defense of the rights of immigrants. A diverse delegation representing New York state’s different ethnic communities heads for Albany, where it conducts, either in the capitol building or on the steps, large meetings to present their demands and meet with elected officials about problems. more>

A lot has changed in New York in three years, and sadly, not for the better. With the monstrous blow of September 11th, New York is undergoing the worst crisis in its history. Carefree extravagance has given way to alarm and cost-consciousness. Charity and nonprofit organizations have seen a rise in workload, but not in funds. more>

The New York Charter Commission proposed splitting off a part of Brighton Beach from the 47th City Council District. The community would no longer be able to vote in one voice or elect a Russian-speaking candidate. Some believe a conspiracy theory—that someone is preventing Jews from the former Soviet Union from accessing power. It’s leading to some interesting reactions—and actions—from the Russian-speaking community. more>