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Beach-Oswald is a
full-service law firm, concentrating on immigration law. We have
special expertise in work visas, family based visas, visa waivers,
green cards through family and employment and asylum. We have staff
members who speak many different languages to assist you.
We succeed when others don't!
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New Border Crossing Documents
Required For Canadians and U.S. Citizens as of June 1
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 Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) has issued a reminder
that starting June 1, 2009 U.S. and Canadian citizens will need to
comply with heightened travel document requirements under the Western
Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) in order to be admitted to the U.S.
Unlike before, only a limited number of documents will be accepted for
entry to the U.S. from Canada. These documents are:
- U.S. or Canadian passports
- Trusted Traveler Card (NEXUS, SENTRI, or FAST/EXPRES)
- U.S. Passport Card
- State or province-issued Enhanced Driver's Licences (where
available)
This new
law only affects citizens, not lawful permanent residents. More
specific information can be found on the WHTI website at www.getyouhome.gov
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New Report
Finds That Immigration Enforcement by State and Local Police May Be
Detrimental to Public Safety and Local Police Functions
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 A new report published by the Police Foundation, titled
"The Role of Local Police: Striking a Balance Between Immigration
Enforcement and Civil Liberties", has found that 287(g)
agreements may actually be detrimental to police enforcement.
U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement's 287(g) program deputizes local
and state police officers to perform immigration enforcement
activities. 287(g) agreements are in force across the country,
including several police departments in Virginia.
Although
the 287(g) program is intended to strengthen police enforcement, the
new report shows that many police executives are concerned about the
287(g) agreement and fear that it will destroy the trust that many
police officers have built within immigrant communities. Police
officers also fear that the 287(g) program will reduce cooperation of
witnesses and victims of crime, and a possible increase in the
victimization and exploitation of immigrants.
Read more: http://policefoundation.org/indexStriking.html
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Beach-Oswald Partners with the
Bliss Women and Children Project to Provide Aid to Children
in Kenya
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 At Beach-Oswald, we take our responsibility as global
citizens very seriously and understand the importance to the African
continent of raising the next generation of
children to realize its fullest potential. We have therefore
agreed to permanently fund, from the proceeds of our attorneys'
consultations, the monthly leasing costs of the Bliss Women and Children Project's orphanage in Nakuru, Kenya.
Bliss currently takes care of
thirty-five children who have been orphaned due to Kenya's AIDS
epidemic. The project provides food, shelter, and clothing for
each of the children, and pays the bulk of the children's school fees
as well. Founded in 2004 by Esther and James Githaiga, Bliss was
forced to cut the size of its program from seventy-five children to
thirty-five after election riots last year in Kenya killed many of the
members of the women's groups that were financially supporting the
project.
The Bliss Women and Children Project is always looking for people
anywhere in the world who have the compassion and drive to help, and
would be extremely grateful for any assistance our clients would be
willing to give. If you would like to donate to Bliss, or are
interested in helping to defray the monthly costs for supporting a
child at the project's orphanage, please see J.P. Urban for more
details or send him an e-mail to jurban@beach-oswald.com.
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Notable Immigration Cases
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Supreme Court
Limits the Impact of Using False Identification Documents
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The Flores-Figueora v. U.S. case, involved
the use of false identity documents in order to obtain work by an
illegal alien, and will have a significant impact on persons using
false documents in order to work in the U.S.
The Supreme
Court found that in order to be guilty of aggravated identity
theft, federal prosecutors must show that the defendant knew that the
identification documents belonged to another person.
The
aggravated identity theft statute 18 U.S.C. § 1028A(a)(1)
imposes a mandatory two-year sentence if during the commission of
a crime the individual "knowingly transfers, possesses, or uses,
without lawful authority, a means of identification of another
person." The government argued that "knowingly" was
meant to modify the words "transfers, possesses, or uses" and
that the defendant did not necessarily have to know that the identification
document belonged to someone else. The Supreme Court, however,
disagreed with the government's argument, stating that "[a]s
a matter of ordinary English grammar, it seems natural to read the
statute's word 'knowingly' as applying to all the subsequently listed
elements of the crime." Therefore, to be guilty of aggravated
identity theft, one must know that the identification documents he/she
is using are not only false, but also belong
to another person.
To find out more, see Flores-Figueroa v. United States, No. 08-108 (May 4, 2009) or
click here
to read the New York Times
article about this case.
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The
information contained on this email is for informational purposes
only and does not constitute legal advice. The transmission of
information to or from this email does not create an attorney-client
relationship between the sender and receiver. We take our privacy
policy seriously and will never sell, rent or share our email list.
View our Privacy Policy
here. To schedule a consultation with one of our immigration
lawyers, please click here.
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USCIS
Continues to Accept H-1B Petitions
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USCIS
announced on May 18, 2009 that they have only received 45,500 H-1B
visas that count toward the 65,000 cap. If you or your company would
like like to apply for the H-1B nonimmigrant visa, please contact
Beach-Oswald Immigration Law Associates as soon as possible, before the
visa cap is reached.
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