New Report: Immigrant unemployment at record high

We knew this anecdotally, but now comes a report out today from the Center for Immigration Studies to confirm it.

WASHINGTON (April 30, 2009) – A new report from the Center for Immigration Studies finds that immigrants have been harder hit by the recession than natives. Unemployment among immigrants (legal and illegal) was higher in the first quarter of 2009 than at any time since 1994, when immigrant data was first collected separately. This represents a change from the recent past, when native-born Americans had the higher unemployment rate.

Read all the findings here.  Especially take note of the findings that confirm that highly educated immigrants are having a harder time finding jobs too.  We knew that already from our extensive coverage of the Iraqi refugees.

Weird Iraqi refugee story in LA Times

I’m just going to let you go read this at the LA Times.  Frankly, it makes no sense.  This American woman, a reporter, falls for an Iraqi man while on assignment in Iraq.  They ultimately marry.    He then applies for refugee status (I think through the Special Immigrant Visa Program) because he worked for Americans.   But, he also applied for his younger brother to come with him.  Younger brother gets accepted but husband is still waiting to hear.  New wife is hosting sullen younger brother who doesn’t want to eat her cupcakes and cookies.

Either Iraqi refugee processing is very screwed-up or the husband has run into Homeland Security screening problems—not good whichever it is!

Three of original Ft. Dix Six sent to prison for life

You can read all about it over at Jihad Watch.  I’m just posting it here as a wrap-up to a story that we followed from the beginning.  Here is an archive of our coverage.  I took an interest in the case because I grew up not far from Ft. Dix, but more importantly because some of these men were in the US illegally and one was an Albanian refugee who had been resettled at Ft. Dix during Bill Clinton’s Bosnian War period.

Another Asylum attorney gets busted

I told you about a recent case in Maryland where immigration lawyer, Patrick Tzeuton from Cameroon, was convicted of immigration fraud when he fabricated documents for clients seeking asylum in the US.  

Thanks to a reader here is another case, from Seattle, with a different twist.  This asylum attorney (I am assuming he is/was an attorney although the article does not say) was advising clients to pretend they were gay and of course persecuted to receive approval for asylum.

SEATTLE – A man accused of advising straight immigrants to claim homosexuality – and potential persecution in their home countries – when they applied for asylum has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit immigration fraud.

Steven Mahoney entered his plea Tuesday in federal court in Seattle.

The U.S. attorney’s office says the 41-year-old Mahoney ran Mahoney and Associates in Kent, and held himself out as an expert in immigration affairs. They say he made money by advising immigrants on how to stay in the U.S. Between late 1998 and mid 2007, Mahoney admits he filed as many as 99 false immigration documents and was paid between $1,000 and $4,000 for each.

Asylees are people who have gotten into the US and claim they were in some way persecuted and would be in danger if they returned to their home country—you know, like Obama’s Aunt Zeituni.   However, once granted asylum they are treated just like refugees and receive the same benefits that refugees receive.

Last summer I told you about how it was harder to use the gay/lesbian persecution angle to legally stay in the US if you were Mexican here.   The reason is that being gay is becoming acceptable in Mexico and other countries south of the border.    But, here is what I wondered at the time:

I’m wondering how the government and these asylum lawyers know if the immigrant claiming asylum is telling the truth.   Couldn’t an illegal immigrant coming across the border just say he is gay? Surely no one checks behind closed doors.

I guess this Seattle story confirms that is exactly what they are doing, and I doubt this is an isolated case.

By the way, one commenter to the story asked if all the clients will now be deported for lying.  Guesses?