The Media Roundup provides links to recent and archived articles, in both English and French, on immigration and diversity appearing in the national and local news. Some international content is also included. Articles are updated weekly.
The Forgetful Lamar Smith and Immigration
President Obama’s top immigration enforcer, John Morton, recently instructed his officials to take mitigating factors into account, like an immigrant’s family ties in the United States and education status, when deciding which deportation cases to pursue. It was not a major breakthrough, but it was sensible and humane, which is why it drew the ire of Representative Lamar Smith, who thinks Mr. Obama is too soft on illegal immigrants. Mr. Smith, who heads the House Judiciary Committee, on Tuesday introduced a bill to suspend the executive branch’s ability to use discretion in immigration cases. He would not suspend it for every president, just this one.
Terrorism fears in the United States are all but halting visas for Iraqis, even those who risked their lives aiding the American war effort, making them especially vulnerable ahead of the planned American military withdrawal. The Obama administration has required new background checks for visa applicants, reacting to a case in Kentucky in which two Iraqi immigrants were arrested on suspicion of ties to an insurgent group, according to American officials in Baghdad.
Accommodating School Prayers Not a Problem At Local High School
The principal of one of the region’s most multicultural high schools says it is no problem to accommodate Muslim students who need to pray at school. And Jim Woolley, principal of Forest Heights Collegiate Institute, said it doesn’t use up any resources, either. The students — between three and 12 of them, are overwhelmingly from the English Language Learners program at Forest Heights. That’s a special program for immigrant teenagers who are still learning English as they go through high school.
Illegal Immigrant Has No Right to Government Health Care, Court Rules
The Federal Court of Appeal has denied an illegal immigrant coverage under Canada’s universal health care system, a precedent-setting decision that could discourage others from travelling to the country to obtain free treatments. The case relates to Nell Toussaint, a Grenadan national who entered Canada in 1999 as a visitor and has lived in Toronto since then. Suffering from a kidney ailment, by 2006 she was too ill to support herself. Among other ailments, she suffered from blood clots, diabetes and tumors.
Border Officials Launch Massive Sweep For Illegal Immigrants in GTA
Canadian border officials have launched a massive sweep for 20,000 illegal immigrants who are believed to be hiding in the Greater Toronto Area.According to the Toronto Sun, warrants have been issued for up to 50 war criminals, many of which are from the Balkans, Africa and Central America, while the Immigration Task Force is also looking for 1,400 hardened foreign criminals.
Immigrant Tech Stars Face Hurdles in Quest to Start Business in Canada
Romanian computer-science stars Mircea Pasoi and Cristian Strat turned down jobs at Facebook and Google to build a technology startup in Vancouver. They’re the kind of talented migrants that most countries fall over themselves trying to attract. Their big idea, an algorithm that summarizes the most important news stories in a person’s social network, could be worth millions if properly executed.
