Saturday December 5, 2009

Anti-amnesty, anti-legalization group ALIPAC has pulled its support for Lou Dobbs after the former CNN host announced that he wants to legalize undocumented immigrants.
"While Mr. Dobbs claims his positions have not changed, however, that is not the perception of many of our mutual supporters," said William Gheen of ALIPAC. "His recent comments on Telemundo and his national radio show supporting some kind of path to citizenship for illegal immigrants is inconsistent with positions of ALIPAC and the views of most American citizens."
ALIPAC has suspended its two Dobbs fan sites after 70% of the organization's supporters voted to drop their support.
Dobbs' flip-flop on immigration has surprised both the anti and pro sides of the immigration debate and comments on this blog have reflected that change. Dobbs has been labeled as a "Benedict Arnold" and a "fraud" by some readers while others have made it clear that Dobbs' anti-immigrant comments can never be forgiven.
Do you think pro-legalization advocates will warm-up to Dobbs now that he has publicly declared his desire for a path to citizenship and groups like ALIPAC are pulling their support, or do you feel that the damage has been done and Dobbs has no chance at gaining pro-migrant support if he runs for office?
Photo: Stephen Chernin/Getty Images
Thursday December 3, 2009
The DV-2011 green card lottery registration period ended Monday, which means entries can no longer be submitted. The next opportunity to register in the green card lottery will be fall 2010 when DV-2012 registration begins.
Those who registered in the DV-2011 green card lottery and are selected as a "winner" will receive a letter from the Kentucky Consular Center by mail sometime between May and July 2010 at the addresses listed on their electronic diversity visa (E-DV) entry. You will be able to check the status of your DV-2011 registration online at the E-DV website on or after July 1, 2010. Keep your confirmation page in a safe place until then. You'll need that confirmation number to check your status online in July.
Tuesday December 1, 2009

Since today is World AIDS Day, I thought you might be interested in this:
Effective January 4, 2010, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection will no longer make an alien inadmissible under section 212(a)(1)(A)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (Act). This memorandum accordingly provides guidance for applications involving HIV.
This statement comes from a USCIS memo dated November 24, 2009, amending the Adjudicator's Field Manual, which details USCIS policies and procedures for adjudicating applications and petitions.
The memo provides guidance to USCIS officers on how to adjudicate current cases involving HIV. The good news is any cases currently in the system will not be denied. Instead, they will be held over until the amendment takes effect on January 4th.
Read the official memorandum from USCIS.
Photo: China Photos/Getty Images
Saturday November 28, 2009

On Tuesday, I suggested that Lou Dobbs may be softening his stance on immigration now that he has an eye for political office. Little did I know that a few days before, Dobbs had been interviewed by Maria Celeste on Telemundo's Al Rojo Vivo.
During the interview, Celeste hammered Dobbs on the leprosy controversy from his 2005 program, his comments about criminal aliens and other issues that have made Dobbs unpopular within the immigrant community. About twenty heated and rather uncomfortable minutes into the interview, Dobbs redirected the discussion towards immigration reform. When asked how he proposes we fix immigration reform, Dobbs replied:
- "We need a rational, effective and humane immigration policy in this country."
- "We need the ability to legalize illegal immigrants on certain conditions."
- "We need to be able to influence the direction of the conversation toward securing the border because until we can control immigration, we cannot meaningfully, substantively alter immigration law because it would have no point if we cannot establish the basis for the control of the flow of people across that border."
Dobbs' second point will come as a shock to those familiar with his strong anti-amnesty, anti-undocumented immigrant rhetoric. But as Celeste astutely points out, Dobbs now "sounds like a politician." The former CNN host confirmed that he is considering a run for office.
Dobbs knows that without the Latino vote, he doesn't stand a chance at the presidency. And with his track record, Dobbs will have to work magic to smooth his rocky relationship with those voters. Celeste gave Dobbs the opportunity to address that issue when she asked if he had any parting words for the Hispanic community.
"Whatever you have thought of me in the past, I can tell you right now that I am one of your greatest friends and I mean for us to work together."
Watch the interview.
Photo: George De Sota/Getty Images