In The News

Immigrant Voters' Split Ticket

Phuong Ly October 30, 2003
As American political candidates court growing numbers of Asian and Latino immigrants, so too are political contenders in overseas elections. Candidates from El Salvador and Taiwan have made certain US cities campaign stops this year. Experts say the phenomenon is occurring for both monetary and political reasons. In addition to campaign contributions, countries such as El Salvador receive more...

15,000 Families Granted Asylum

October 24, 2003
With more asylum seekers fleeing conflicts in various parts of the world, receiving countries are experiencing some hard times. The UK, for example, is already feeling over burdened. Recently, the government announced that it would grant 15,000 families indefinite leave to remain and enable them to work in the UK, a right they don't currently enjoy. According to the Secretary of the Home...

All Over an Inch of Flesh

October 23, 2003
Last month, two schoolgirls were kicked out of school in France for wearing headscarves, a traditional Muslim symbol. While it is legal to wear religious symbols in school, French law forbids the wearing of certain ostentatious religious signs "that constitute an act of pressure, provocation, proselytism or propaganda." Thus, wearing headscarves is acceptable. But when the girls...

Elderly Immigrants Embrace Nursing Homes

Sarah Kershaw October 20, 2003
For many American families, nursing homes are a fact of life for the elderly. This article finds that immigrants too are embracing “the very American tradition of living the last years with peers, not family.” In particular, this trend is becoming more commonplace among Asian immigrants – many of whom still feel that the “decision to send a parent away is clouded with shame and ambivalence.”...

US Court System is Big Opening for Immigrants

Jesse Bogan October 14, 2003
Non-Mexican undocumented immigrants crossing the southern US border have a pretty easy out if they're apprehended by immigration authorities. By claiming to be from Honduras, Guatemala, or somewhere else, undocumented migrants from Central and South America are processed through the court system, not immediately turned back at the US-Mexico border. Short on money and space to house them,...

US Agents Target Indonesia in Rigid Visa Checks

Tiarma Siboro October 9, 2003
As part of America's global war against terrorism, the US Department of Homeland Security announced it will deploy agents to oversee visa approval at US embassies and consulates in Indonesia and four other Muslim countries. The plan is not yet official – the Indonesian government said it was unaware of the proposed measures, and US embassy officials say Washington "is still discussing...

Foreign Religious Students on the Run

Hasan Mansoor September 26, 2003
The Pakistani Intelligence Agency raided two extremist religious seminaries this week and took 19 students of East Asian origin into custody for connections to groups acting against "the integrity of Pakistan." The students are currently being interrogated by a joint United States FBI-Pakistani team, and their visas have been revoked. "It is not a case of terrorism;" argues...