According to the prognosis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it will be difficult for foreign students to find a seasonal job. "J-1 visa holders will have to compete with many unemployed Americans and undocumented immigrants for work in diners and hotels," said Greg Chinarski. more>

New York is in an absurd situation. New Yorkers are desperately in need of affordable housing while huge spaces are standing empty.

VIDEO :: In July, Speaker Christine C. Quinn announced a $20 million commitment to fund a pilot program that will turn unsold condominiums, market-rate rental buildings and stalled construction sites into affordable housing opportunities for moderate and middle-income families.

  more>

The number of New Yorkers forced to spend the night in homeless shelters has reached 39,000, the highest number in 25 years. The main reasons for this are the economic crisis, unemployment, and Mayor Bloomberg's nonchalant attitude towards the problem. more>

The author opines that the enthusiasm at the recent signing by Governor Paterson of the bill that will make all election materials available in Russian may be misplaced. By embracing the bill, he says, Russian-speaking voters – U.S. citizens with a minimum of five or six years in the country – have admitted to their own illiteracy. more>

According to the Human & Civil Rights Organizations of America (HCROA), the majority of police officers adhere to the long-standing stereotype that "all blacks and Hispanics are potential criminals."  more>

The prominent case of the up-scale Lemongrass Restaurant in Manhattan, whose owner owes over $1 million in wages to his employees, is just one of many complaints filed daily with city agencies by people who have been exploited and cheated by their employers.

AUDIO :: In May NPR's "All Things Considered" reported on New York State's efforts to tackle wage theft against immigrants.

  more>

"We can only guess at the number of immigrants who enter the United States by crossing the Bering Strait in fishing schooners, inflatable rafts, and motor boats," said Charles Kosick from the Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII).

VIDEO :: Crossing the Bering Strait overland is a grueling endeavor.  However, an international team attempts the journey. more>

VIDEO :: Last year the NYPD decided to send new rookie police officers to high crime areas of the city dubbed "impact zones." more>

The conservative-leaning population of the United States that relentlessly criticizes undocumented immigrants often defends itself with arguments that have absolutely no basis in reality. more>

In my opinion, a J-1 visa holder convicted of attempting to falsely claim refugee status is just as "dangerous a criminal to society" as Jean Valjean, the hero of Les Miserables, who was sentenced to 19 years in jail for stealing a loaf of bread for hungry children.  more>

"Even a small thing like buying a new shirt became something of a holiday for everyone in my family," recalled 33-year-old undocumented immigrant Alfredo Rames, a former resident of Irapuato. more>


Chasing the American Dream - A brief look at Mexicans who risk everything for the chance of a better life in the United States.

Early Feb. was marked by large demonstrations in support of immigration reform, the main participants, not Mexican laborers, but small business owners. more>

This week, dozens of Catholic dioceses across the United States stood up for the rights of undocumented immigrants. more>

“The country is going through an economic crisis and the appearance of legal workers that do not need to be deported is a very good beginning,” Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano said this week. more>

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the U.S. legal system is overflowing with all sorts of paradoxes. Using green cards as the main way of rewarding cooperation with the authorities has been a practice with district attorneys and criminal investigators for over 10 years. more>

According to Amnesty International, 70 percent of those arrested because of their immigration status await deportation in real prisons, where their cellmates are real criminals, like rapists, murders, and robbers. Unwieldy machine that it is, ICE works so unpredictably that a Mexican dishwasher at a restaurant in New York could be sent to Pelican Bay – one of the most terrible prisons in California. A resident of Los Angeles could end up at a prison in Florida, several thousand kilometers from his residence. more>

“The chorus of voices opposed to the immigration reform bill is growing stronger by the day,” writes Yevgeny Novitsky. Hailed as a solution to the problem of illegal immigration, the proposed bill is said to make the prospect of citizenship for the undocumented even more unfeasible. more>