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U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Reports on Immigration

Alien Detention Standards: Telephone Access Problems Were Pervasive at Detention Facilities; Other Deficiencies Did Not Show a Pattern of Noncompliance (PDF)

Border Security: Fraud Risk Complicate State's Ability to Manage Diversity Visa Program (PDF)

Department of Homeland Security: Organizational Structure, Spending, and Staffing for the Health Care Provided to Immigration Detainees (PDF)

Department of Homeland Security: Strategic Solution for US-VISIT Program Needs to be Better Defined, Justified, and Coordinated (PDF)

Higher Education: United States' and Other Countries' Strategies for Attracting and Funding International Students (PDF)

Immigration Application Fees: Costing Methodology Improvements Would Provide More Reliable Basis for Setting Fees (PDF)

Immigration Benefits: Actions Need to Address Vulnerabilities in Process for Granting Permanent Residency (PDF)

Immigration Benefits: Internal Controls for Adjudicating Humanitarian Parole Cases are Generally Effective, but Some Can Be Strengthened (PDF)

Immigration Enforcement: Controls Over Program Authorizing State and Local Enforcement of Federal Immigration Laws Should Be Strengthened (PDF)

International Marriage Broker Regulation Act of 2005: Agencies Have Implemented Some, but Not All of the Act's Requirements (PDF)

Iraq: Iraqi Refugees and Special Immigrant Visa Holders Face Challenges Resettling in the United States and Obtaining U.S. Government Employment (PDF)

Secure Border Initiative: DHS Has Faced Challenges Deploying Technology and Fencing Along Southwest Border (PDF)

Sponsored Noncitizens and Public Benefits: More Clarity in Federal Guidance and Better Access to Federal Information Could Improve Implementation of Income Eligibility Rules (PDF)

US Asylum System: Agencies Have Taken Actions to Help Ensure Quality in the Asylum Adjudication Process, but Challenges Remain (PDF)

US Asylum System: Significant Variation Existed in Asylum Outcomes across Immigration Courts and Judges (PDF)

US Labor Force Statistics: Illustrative Simulations of the Likely Effects of Underrepresenting Unauthorized Residents (PDF)

Visa Waiver Program: Actions Are Needed to Improve Management of the Expansion Process, and to Assess and Mitigate Program Risks (PDF)

Visa Waiver Program: Limitations with Department of Homeland Security's Plan to Verify Departure of Foreign Nationals (PDF)

News and Resources

Protect Yourself and Your Family: Get Immigration Help from a Licensed Professional (PDF)

"Notarios," Visa Consultants, and Immigration Consultants Are Not Attorneys (PDF)

Supreme Court Opens a Door, Barely, for Immigrants Fighting Deportation

April 28, 2009 - New American Media - A recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court makes it difficult for asylum-seekers to challenge deportation orders.

Foreign IT Pros Working in U.S. Earning More Than Americans

April 28, 2009 - InformationWeek - While opponents of H-1B and L-1 visas have long argued that the temporary work programs encourage employers to hire cheap foreign labor, a new study says noncitizen IT professionals earn pay that's on average 5% to 9% higher than American workers with similar education levels and IT experience.

End the 'Widow Penalty'

April 27, 2009 - New York Times Editorial - For hundreds of unlucky immigrants, the death of a wife or husband has been quickly followed by an order to leave the country. It’s called the “widow penalty,” a tragic quirk in federal law that unfairly punishes recently married immigrants whose citizen spouses die before their green-card paperwork is processed.

Asylum seekers have better luck with northern or female judges

April 27, 2009 - Chicago Sun-Times - If you're a political refugee afraid to go back to your homeland, pray you get a woman judge or a Northerner.

A male judge sitting in a Southern court is about twice as likely to reject your asylum plea, according to research from two Georgetown University professors.

U.S. lesbian mother given deportation reprieve

April 27, 2009 - Associated Press - A Philippines-born lesbian mother ordered to leave the country next month for overstaying her visa will likely be allowed to stay through next year thanks to intervention from U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Supreme Court to consider whether asylum appealer who overslept should get another hearing

April 27, 2009 - Associated Press - The Supreme Court will decide whether an Albanian immigrant who overslept and missed his asylum hearing can be deported.

Immigrants' Children: A Foot In Two Worlds

April 2009 - NPR - Immigrants bring many things to the U.S., but their lasting contribution to the country has always been their children. NPR's series Immigrants' Children looks at that legacy, telling the stories of those children and examining the issues they face.

Siblings Divided by Immigration Laws

April 27, 2009 - New York Times - As part of a series on immigration, Room for Debate last week convened a discussion on the issue of young illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children with their parents and were raised and educated here.

A Family Divided by 2 Worlds, Legal and Illegal

April 25, 2009 - New York Times - In fact, most immigrants live in families, with a blend of legal statuses, opportunities and dreams. To spend time with this Queens family is to see, up close, how the growing disparities within immigrant homes are pulling their members in opposite directions and complicating efforts to plan a common future.

White House May Alter Haitian Immigrant Policy (link to audio)

April 24, 2009 - Morning Edition - A week after allowing Cuban-Americans more freedom to return to their native country, there are signs the Obama administration may soon change U.S. policy for Haitian immigrants. Immigration activists say they're hopeful the administration will act soon to at least temporarily stop deporting Haitians to their devastated home country.

H-1B demand follows the economy -- down

April 13, 2009 - Computerworld - Demand for H-1B visas usually fluctuates with the economy, and this year is no exception. In fact, the initial number of H-1B applications filed with the federal government was down even more sharply than expected from the number filed a year ago.

Specialty visa quota still unfilled after a week

April 10, 2009 - Boston Globe - Demand has slumped for special visas to bring skilled foreign workers into the United States - another sign of the recession's severe impact on the nation's labor market.