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Could you pass the new US citizenship test?
"Others, including Ethiopia native Anteneh Workneh, addressed an issue that immigrant advocates have raised: Conceptual questions and answers might require a higher level of education and greater English-language dexterity.
"He compared one question found on both tests -- 'The House of Representatives has how many voting members?' -- with a new question: 'Why do some states have more representatives?'
"'The first one is a fact. They're going to quote the number: 435,' Workneh, 25, said. 'But the other one, you have to know more definitions of the words.'
"'What we're against is rote memorization of trivial and arbitrary facts that have no impact in a citizen's life or do not cover fundamental concepts of American democracy,' Alfonso Aguilar, chief of USCIS's citizenship office, said last year.
"USCIS, which posts the questions, answers and study materials online, also says the new test isn't harder and that the English necessary is at a high-beginning level. Adult educators and community organizations helped with piloting and revisions, USCIS says." "Others, including Ethiopia native Anteneh Workneh, addressed an issue that immigrant advocates have raised: Conceptual questions... more -
New HPV Vaccination requirement for immigrants raises concerns
Federal immigration authorities now require immunization against human papillomavirus for female immigrants ages 11 to 26 who are seeking permanent residence.
The mandate by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services went into effect July 1, but advocacy groups were largely left in the dark about the new requirements, said Priscilla Huang, Reproductive Justice Project director and women's law fellow at the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum.
The vaccine cost tacks on about $375 to the status change fee of $1,410. It is also gender specific and the only vaccine for a sexually transmitted disease, leading some women's rights groups to believe the mandate is discriminatory.
The vaccine has been controversial since it was introduced to market two years ago. In February 2007, Gov. Rick Perry wanted to make the shot mandatory for all sixth-grade girls in Texas. The executive order was shot down.
Maria Elena Garcia-Upson, spokeswoman for Citizenship and Immigration Services in Dallas, said the vaccines are in no way meant to deny or deter people from the application process.
She said Citizenship and Immigration Services is simply following recommendations given by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is funding for the vaccine through the CDC's Vaccines for Children program, but adult women may find it harder to pay for the shots.
"I think the public would agree that people who are coming into this country to adjust their status, if they have a contagious disease, we don't want that disease to be spread around," Ms. Garcia-Upson said.
Ana Correa, executive director of the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, said the cost of the vaccine will be another barrier for women seeking legal status. She said that application fees for immigrants have recently risen.
"What we have noticed is that applying for citizenship decreases as the fees go up," she said. "I don't think it's a coincidence that they're pushing for a policy that would provide a burden on immigrants."
Members of the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices confirmed that they recommend the vaccine for women, but the recommendation was not necessarily for a particular group.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is a CDC committee. Vaccine requirements are part of the Immigration and Nationality Act last amended by Congress in 1996, according to the CDC.
"ACIP makes vaccine recommendations based on scientific information using criteria such as burden of disease, efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness," said Dr. Dale Morse, the committee's chairman. "However, ACIP does not mandate the use of vaccines."
Nearly half of all sexually active men and women acquire HPV, according to the CDC. There are about 20 million Americans infected, and about 6.2 million people become newly infected yearly. Federal immigration authorities now require immunization against human papillomavirus for female immigrants ages 11 to 26 who are seek... more -
Mail-order-bride threatened with deportation after husband's death
For Manniecar Dagpin Senillo, marrying "a Western man" was a transaction, a tool to improve her life and that of her family in the Philippines.
And that's what the 25-year-old woman said she and her Canadian husband, businessman George Spiller, had agreed on when they met two years ago on an Internet website popular with Filipinas looking for men in the West.
After half a year of phone and email correspondence, the couple wed in November 2006 on Spiller's first visit to the Philippines.
Despite a 32-year age gap and, according to Senillo, disapproval from his Toronto family, Spiller sponsored her. She joined him in Calgary in August 2007. But her dream for a new life was short-lived.
Spiller, 56, died of alcohol poisoning a month later. Although foul play was not suspected, the widow is now being accused by Spiller's family of entering a marriage of convenience and may have her permanent resident status revoked and be sent back to her impoverished homeland.
Senillo says the complaint against her to Immigration Canada stems from her having left Spiller's Calgary home just before his death and not attending his funeral. In addition, she applied for all her Canadian ID in the Toronto area with help of an aunt and uncle, instead of through her residence in Calgary.
In February, months after her husband's sudden death, Citizenship and Immigration Canada told Senillo, who now lives with her aunt in Whitby, that she was under investigation.
At issue is whether she was in a genuine relationship.
She said she had become afraid of her husband, who turned into a different person after her arrival in Canada, "smoking and being drunk all the time."
"But I knew little about him," admitted Senillo, who used to be a waitress and now works at a fast-food chain.
She said it wasn't until she saw an obituary by Spiller's family that she learned her husband had two sons from an earlier marriage. A coroner's report later revealed his history of "chronic ethanol abuse, smoking, hypertension and depression," something Senillo said she was not aware of.
A Status of Women Canada report has documented the emerging number of Filipina "mail-order brides" brought to Canada since the 1990s. It is estimated several thousand Filipina brides now live in Canada.
Senillo's aunt, Janeth, and uncle, Tom Werry, insisted their niece entered the marriage in good faith. Werry said he paid for his distraught niece's airfare to come to Whitby after learning of Spiller's drinking problem. The separation was not intended to be permanent, he added. Werry also reported his niece's reasons for leaving Calgary to the RCMP and to Calgary police; he said he was concerned about her immigration status upon leaving her husband. He said Senillo didn't have the money to fly back to Calgary for Spiller's funeral.
In Spiller's will, dated March of last year, Senillo was named the beneficiary of the deceased's life insurance policies, registered retirement and pension plans. It is currently being handled by the executor, one of Spiller's friends. For Manniecar Dagpin Senillo, marrying "a Western man" was a transaction, a tool to improve her life and that of her family ... more -
Court bans British girl from leaving Russia for 7 years
A British girl of 11 has been told she may not be able to leave Russia for seven years after she went to visit relatives there.
Victoria Osborne, step-daughter of a British university lecturer, was stopped by border guards as she was about to board a flight home.
The youngster, who was due to start a new school back home in Hampshire, was returning from a family visit with her mother, Tatiana. They were told that the girl's biological father, Colonel Yuri Gladkikh, from whom Tatiana has been separated for eight years, had imposed the order.
Although they are British citizens the pair travelled on Russian passports, making them subject to the country's law - under which divorced parents are allowed to block the movements of their children out of the country until they are 18.
Mrs Osborne, 34, was told she was free to leave but she refused to go without her daughter, who is known as Vicka.
Victoria's stepfather, Dr Patrick Osborne, is now fighting to bring his family back to their home in Winchester.
' This order came totally out of the blue,' he said. 'Mr Gladkikh has never tried to play any part in Vicka's life in the last eight years except for one phone call a year. Sometimes he doesn't even call her on her birthday.'
Dr Osborne, 52, who married Tatiana six years ago after meeting her while working in Russia, added: 'We know it is not going to be easy, but we are determined to get our family back together.
'Both Tatiana and Vicka are desperate to come back to this country. When we go over there to see Tatiana's family Mr Gladkikh knows exactly where we are because his mother lives in the same village - but he never tries to see Vicka.
'The first I heard about this was when Tatiana left a message on my answerphone.
'She is getting increasingly distressed and it's going to get harder and harder the longer it goes on for her.'
Mrs Osborne has been locked in negotiations with lawyers 1,500 miles away in Saratov, a city in southern Russia, where she and her daughter have been since Victoria was stopped last Thursday.
Mrs Osborne said from Saratov: ' We are devastated. Had we known about this restriction we would never have gone to Russia this summer.
'Our family is broken apart and Vicka is not at school. She was so much looking forward to it.
'I will never leave her on her own. She needs to be with her mum and feel she's loved and wanted. This is a betrayal by her biological father.'
The family could face a lengthy court battle if the order is not withdrawn by Colonel Gladkikh.
They have sought help from the British Embassy in Russia but have been told there is little they can do because they were travelling on Russian passports.
Dr Osborne, who lectures in civil engineering at the University of Southampton, said he he was trying to get her new school, the Westgate School, in Winchester, to send work for her by email.
'It is unbelievable that any parent, however far-removed from daily upbringing, would deny his child the right to a good education, access to her home and friends,' he said.
Dr Osborne said the family were in talks with Colonel Gladkikh over the ownership of a flat in Saratov. A British girl of 11 has been told she may not be able to leave Russia for seven years after she went to visit relatives there. ... more -
TRO Denied, Obama Can Still Run (For Now)
The Obama campaign is probably breathing a sigh of relief now that the motion for temporary restraining order sought by Philip J. Berg, Esquire, has been denied. Berg, who says he is a Democrat (and presumably a Clinton supporter), filed a lawsuit last Thursday in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Obama, the DNC and the FEC, claiming that Obama can’t be president because he isn’t a “natural born Citizen,” as required by Article II, Section I of the Constitution. Berg also immediately sought a TRO to “put a stop to Defendant Obama’s fraudulent campaign scheme.” The Obama campaign is probably breathing a sigh of relief now that the motion for temporary restraining order sought by Philip J. Berg... more
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"Big Brother IS watching - RFID tags could be used to track you!"
"Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags are embedded in a growing number of personal items and identity documents. Because the tags were designed to be powerful tracking devices and they typically incorporate little security, people wearing or carrying them are vulnerable to surreptitious surveillance and profiling. Worldwide, legislators have done little to address those risks to citizens.
If you live in a state bordering Canada or Mexico, you may soon be given an opportunity to carry a very high tech item: a remotely readable driver’s license. Designed to identify U.S. citizens as they approach the nation’s borders, the cards are being promoted by the Department of Homeland Security as a way to save time and simplify border crossings. But if you care about your safety and privacy as much as convenience, you might want to think twice before signing up.
The new licenses come equipped with radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags that can be read right through a wallet, pocket or purse from as far away as 30 feet. Each tag incorporates a tiny microchip encoded with a unique identification number. As the bearer approaches a border station, radio energy broadcast by a reader device is picked up by an antenna connected to the chip, causing it to emit the ID number. By the time the license holder reaches the border agent, the number has already been fed into a Homeland Security database, and the traveler’s photograph and other details are displayed on the agent’s screen."
MUCH more at link (you know Sciam) but worth the read! "Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags are embedded in a growing number of personal items and identity documents. Because ... more -
NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW! Yet Rove deems to clarify his refusal to appear...
Write or call your congressional representatives and tell them this is UNACCEPTABLE. Our Constitution was founded on the rule of law and NO ONE is above the law in this nation - NO ONE. Thanks to Wen_Del on his previous posting on Rove's imperialistic refusal to appear - Aug 7th. Write or call your congressional representatives and tell them this is UNACCEPTABLE. Our Constitution was founded on the rule of law ... more
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Freed Thai Slave Laborers Become U.S. Citizens
Maliwan Clinton recalls her first taste of America with a shudder. In this fabled land of the free, she was enslaved behind razor wire and around-the-clock guards in an El Monte sweatshop, where she and more than 70 other Thai laborers were forced to work 18-hour days for what amounted to less than a dollar an hour.
When she was freed, a shocked public learned of slavery in its midst and flooded the Thai laborers with American generosity: Churchgoers offered shelter, community advocates proffered English lessons and job tips, lawyers fought for work permits and legal status for the group.
Exactly 13 years to the day the Thai laborers won their freedom, Clinton's American journey came full circle Wednesday as she acquired U.S. citizenship by taking the oath of allegiance to her new nation.
"I'm an American and this is my home now!" said Clinton, 39, as she waved a miniature American flag at the Montebello ceremony, where more than 3,600 citizens were scheduled to be sworn in by day's end.
Another former slave laborer, Sukanya Chuai Ngan, was also granted citizenship Wednesday. The two women are among dozens of the El Monte workers who have acquired citizenship this year or expect to do so soon.
More than 40 of them had gathered Sunday to celebrate with the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, which successfully fought for a $4-million settlement from manufacturers and retailers for their exploitation and won an uphill battle to gain legal status for the workers.
"Because of their courage, they were able to take what was a horrific experience and emerge from it as victors," said the legal center's Julie Su, their lead attorney for 13 years. "I'm really proud of them, but I'm also proud of America because this nation opened its arms to them and showed its best ideals of freedom and human rights." Maliwan Clinton recalls her first taste of America with a shudder. In this fabled land of the free, she was enslaved behind razor wire... more -
Legal, born in the U.S. residents denied citizenship!!
WESLACO, Texas -- In the archives of local institutions, Juan Aranda's life is firmly rooted in this small south Texas town.
His birth certificate says he was delivered unto Weslaco 38 years ago, and church records say he was baptized here soon after. School files list him as a student in the local district from kindergarten through high school, and voter rolls show he votes for president here.
But to the U.S. State Department, all that black and white looks a lot like gray. It recently refused to issue Mr. Aranda a passport; the government isn't sure he's an American.
"I never imagined my U.S. citizenship would be questioned," says the manager at a water company. "I've lived here since the day I was born."
The problem is that Mr. Aranda was delivered by a midwife at a private home. Parteras, Spanish for midwives, have been part of life in Hidalgo and Cameron counties along the border with Mexico from the time of the Texas Republic and before. But in the early 1990s, dozens of midwives were convicted of forging U.S. birth certificates for about 15,000 children born in Mexico as far back as the 1960s.
As a result, the U.S. government no longer trusts that anyone in this region delivered by a midwife is an American citizen. In those cases, the government demands additional proof -- a demand that has applicants scouring school warehouses and church offices to document their pasts.
That has caused a panic in south Texas, where locals need a valid passport more than ever. A new law that goes into effect next year requires Americans to use a passport, rather than just a birth certificate or driver's license, to visit Mexico and Canada. The situation threatens to isolate thousands of people in the Rio Grande Valley who regularly travel back and forth to Mexico for work or family reasons.
"Usually a state-issued birth certificate is sufficient to establish U.S. nationality," says Michael Kirby, a senior official for consular affairs at the State Department. But, given the fraud committed by some south Texas midwives, "we want to be careful that we issue passports to everybody who is eligible and not to anyone who isn't," he says, acknowledging that thousands of passport applicants could be affected. WESLACO, Texas -- In the archives of local institutions, Juan Aranda's life is firmly rooted in this small south Texas town. ... more -
Muslim Woman Seeking French Citizenship Gets Bad Press
Faiza Silmi, 32, moved to France from Morocco in 2000 after marrying her French husband Karim, who is of Moroccan descent. French law allows non-native spouses of French nationals to acquire citizenship two years after marriage and in 2004, Faiza petitioned for nationality. She didn’t give it a second thought; it seemed only natural that her request would be granted. After all, she was married to a Frenchman, spoke perfect French and had already given birth to French children. Besides, her brothers and sister, who also lived in France, had obtained French nationality with no problem.
However in 2005, the government denied her petition. In disbelief, the family appealed to the Conseil d’Etat (the Council of State – a judicial body that has final say on disputes between individuals and the public administration), which three years and many interviews later confirmed the ruling on June 27, which was then disclosed by a report in French daily Le Monde. According to the report, Silmi had “adopted a radical practice of her religion, incompatible with the essential values of the French community, and particularly with the principle of sexual equality”.
Faiza says that had she known her petition would create such uproar she would never have appealed.
“I mean, it’s just a bit of paper. We live our lives and we are very peaceful people. We didn’t want this fuss.”
But what was most upsetting to the couple were the lies printed about them in the French press.
“We don’t know where the lies originated – whether they were in the original report or whether it’s all been manipulated in the press. They made so many errors – they said I had three children. I have four. They said I was treated by a male gynecologist – as if that had any importance. I wasn’t. I was treated by a female gynecologist. Like lots of women, I prefer to consult a woman. But the last time I went into hospital to give birth I was attended to by a male doctor. I didn’t care. I’m not going to put my baby’s life at risk.”
More damaging for Silmi, however, were what she claims to be the inaccuracies compiled in the formal report by Emmanuelle Prada-Bordenave, based on interviews carried out with Faiza by the social services and submitted to the Conseil d’Etat.
“She has no idea about the secular state or the right to vote. She lives in total submission to her male relatives. She seems to find this normal and the idea of challenging it has never crossed her mind,” stated the report. It added that Faiza did not wear the burqa when she lived in Morocco, but adopted it at her husband’s request. She wore the veil out of habit, rather than conviction.
“She lives virtually as a recluse, disconnected from French society,” continued the report. “She has no concept of laïcité (the secular state) nor the right to vote. She lives in total subservience to the men in her family.”
Her husband says she was very depressed after she learned about the decision and realized the consequences it held. But today she is indignant. Faiza Silmi, 32, moved to France from Morocco in 2000 after marrying her French husband Karim, who is of Moroccan descent. French law ... more -
Whales in Danger from Naval Sonar testing - STILL
If you have not already - here' a good and important thing to do. Sign the petition at the National Resource Defence Council (NRDC) site to assure protection of Whales and other sea mammels from this rediculous testing and, additionally, ludicrous waste of tax payer dollars. If you have not already - here' a good and important thing to do. Sign the petition at the National Resource Defence Council (NR... more
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Proof of citizenship now mandatory to enter the US
"It looks like any Southern California traffic jam — except you can buy a cappuccino and a 4-foot statue of Jesus from your car while watching dogs sniff vehicles for drugs.
This is the U.S.-Mexico border's most congested crossing, where local residents say already epic lines into San Diego have grown even longer since January, when the U.S. began phasing out a long-standing practice of allowing people they believed to be American citizens to enter by simply stating their citizenship.
Border guards now require most crossers to present a U.S. passport or other proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate — though they are still permitted to exercise their own judgment in order to keep lines moving. As always, Mexican citizens and other foreign nationals must show valid immigration documents to enter."
Oh my oh my, it looks like I can't forget about my documents (ID) now, I've crossed that line without a single paper too many times ... "It looks like any Southern California traffic jam — except you can buy a cappuccino and a 4-foot statue of Jesus from your car w... more -
Quiz: could you pass the US citizenship test?
Ever wonder how difficult it is to become a US citizen? Here are 10 questions among 100 currently used in US citizenship tests. You need to get an 80% to pass. Ever wonder how difficult it is to become a US citizen? Here are 10 questions among 100 currently used in US citizenship tests. You ne... more
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A Muslim woman too orthodox for France
When Faiza Silmi applied for French citizenship she was worried that her fluent French was not quite perfect enough or that her Moroccan upbringing would pose a problem.
"I would never have imagined that they would turn me down because of what I choose to wear," Silmi said, her hazel eyes looking out of the narrow slit in her niqab, an Islamic facial veil that is among three flowing layers of turquoise, blue and black that cover her body from head to toe.
But last month, France's highest administrative court upheld a decision to deny Silmi, 32, citizenship on the ground that her "radical" practice of Islam was incompatible with French values like equality of the sexes.
It was the first time that a French court had judged somebody's capacity to be assimilated into France based on private religious practice, taking laïcité - the country's strict concept of secularism - from the public sphere into the home.
The case has sharpened the focus on the delicate balance between the tradition of Republican secularism and the freedom of religion guaranteed under the French Constitution - and how that balance might be shifting. It comes four years after a law banning religious garb in public schools was reinforced. And it comes only weeks after a court in Lille annulled a marriage on request of a Muslim husband whose wife had lied about being a virgin. (The government subsequently demanded a review of the court decision.) When Faiza Silmi applied for French citizenship she was worried that her fluent French was not quite perfect enough or that her Morocc... more -
Are You Smart Enough to Be German? - Take the Citizenship Test
SPIEGEL ONLINE has compiled a quiz based on the citizenship test soon to be introduced in Germany. If you think you know what "zero hour" means or have an inkling about what the North-Rhine Westphalian flag looks like, then don't be shy: Take the test.
Go to the link to take the 33 question test. SPIEGEL ONLINE has compiled a quiz based on the citizenship test soon to be introduced in Germany. If you think you know what "ze... more -
Muslim woman refused French citizenship for her 'submissive' views
France has refused to grant citizenship to a burqa-wearing Moroccan woman on the grounds that her "radical" interpretation of Islam is incompatible with its values.
The legal ruling, which has just been published, is the first time a Muslim applicant had been rejected by France due to their religious practices.
The unnamed 32-year-old woman is married to a French national. She arrived in the country in 2000, speaks good French and her three children were born in the country.
She wears a black burqa that covers all her body except her eyes, which are visible through a narrow slit, and lives in "total submission" to her husband and male relatives, according to reports by social services.
The case will reignite debate about how to reconcile freedom of religion, which is guaranteed by the French constitution, and other fundamental rights which many in France feel are being challenged by the way of life of some Muslims.
"She has adopted a radical practice of her religion, incompatible with essential values of the French community, particularly the principle of equality of the sexes," said a ruling by the Council of State seen by Le Monde newspaper.
The Council of State is a judicial body which has the final say on disputes between individuals and the public administration.
The woman's application for French nationality was rejected in 2005 on grounds of "insufficient assimilation". She appealed to the Council of State, which last month approved the rejection.
In the past, nationality was denied to Muslims who were known to have links with extremist circles or who had publicly advocated radicalism, which is not the case in this instance.
The ruling comes weeks after a heated debate over whether traditional Muslim views were creeping into French law, prompted by a court's annulment of the marriage of two Muslims because the husband said the wife was not a virgin as she had claimed to be.
In the case of the Moroccan woman, Le Monde suggested the Council of State had gone to the opposite extreme by rejecting the woman's beliefs and way of life rather than accommodating them.
Emmanuelle Prada-Bordenave, the legal expert who provided a report on the case to the Council of State, wrote that the woman's interviews with social services revealed that "she lives almost as a recluse, isolated from French society".
"She has no idea about the secular state or the right to vote. She lives in total submission to her male relatives. She seems to find this normal and the idea of challenging it has never crossed her mind," she wrote. France has refused to grant citizenship to a burqa-wearing Moroccan woman on the grounds that her "radical" interpretation o... more -
John MCCAIN's eligibility to become president questioned? This is not smear!
In the most detailed examination yet of Senator John McCain’s eligibility to be president, a law professor at the University of Arizona has concluded that neither Mr. McCain’s birth in 1936 in the Panama Canal Zone nor the fact that his parents were American citizens is enough to satisfy the constitutional requirement that the president must be a “natural-born citizen.” In the most detailed examination yet of Senator John McCain’s eligibility to be president, a law professor at the University of Arizon... more
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Bush celebrates fourth of July by addressing new citizens
President Bush will spend part of today, Independence Day, at Thomas Jefferson's home. An annual event, Bush will speak to 76 new citizens, representing 30 countries, at their naturalization ceremony. President Bush will spend part of today, Independence Day, at Thomas Jefferson's home. An annual event, Bush will speak to 76 new... more
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Could you pass the latest citizenship test?
In October 2008 a new version of the U.S. citizenship test will be taken by all applicants. Could you pass it? The questions are usually selected from a list of 100 samples that prospective citizens can look at ahead of the interview. Some are easy, some are not. In October 2008 a new version of the U.S. citizenship test will be taken by all applicants. Could you pass it? The questions are usual... more
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Join the National War Tax Resistance using IRS form in 2008
Don't pay taxes in 2008 in protest of the Iraq war or possibly a new war with Iran. It's legal.
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Citizenship
