The Associated Press: AZ may criminalize presence of illegal immigrants

The Associated Press: AZ may criminalize presence of illegal immigrants

PHOENIX — Over the past several years, immigration hard-liners at the Arizona Legislature persuaded their colleagues to criminalize the presence of illegal border-crossers in the state and ban soft immigration policies in police agencies — only to be thwarted by vetoes from a Democratic governor.

This year, their prospects have improved. A proposal to draw local police deeper into the fight against illegal immigration has momentum, and even opponents expect the new Republican governor to sign off on the changes.

The proposal would make Arizona the only state to criminalize the presence of illegal immigrants through an expansion of its trespassing law. It also would require police to try to determine people's immigration status when there's reasonable suspicion they are in the country illegally.

RAD~ I worked on cases like this in New Hampshire back in 2005. The local police chiefs in Hudson and New Ipswich decided to arrest people who could not prove their lawful immigration status for trespassing. I believe this is a bad policy - it is also unlawful because the admission, registration and control of aliens in the United States is an area of legal responsibility reserved to the federal government. The legal doctrine of preemption, therefore, applies to actions by states and municipalities who attempt to create and enforce their own individual laws on immigration. I am born and raised in NH and don't like to think of my state this way but clearly it is more than a coincidence that the only two states that have tried to criminalize undocumented immigrants as trespassers (New Hampshire and Arizona)were also among the very last states to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

http://www.courts.state.nh.us/district/criminal_trespass_decision.pdf

New report on demographic changes in Hillsborough County NH

A new report from the Carsey Institute at UNH discusses the changing demographics of the residents of New Hampshire' most populous region.  It discusses characteristics like age, income & poverty, urban/suburban growth and most interestingly to me immigration.  For instance...

"The Manchester–Nashua area has long been a point of entry for immigrants. Contemporary immigration levels certainly do not compare to historical levels, but immigrants remain an important source of growth for the region. An estimated 8,700 immigrants moved to the metropolitan area between 2000 and 2007. They represent more than one-third of the area’s population gain during the period.


Most of these immigrants settled in the cities of Nashua and Manchester, but a modest number settled
in the suburbs as well. Approximately 9 percent of the metropolitan area’s population is foreign-born, a far cry from the near majority at the turn of the last century, but certainly enough to underscore the continuing importance of immigrants to the region’s future."
 
To see the full report click on the headline or go to : http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/

The Changing Faces of New Hampshire: Recent Demographic Trends in the Granite State

Here is a link to a 2007 report on the demographic changes taking place in New Hampshire from 200-2006.  It is from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire. Dr. Kenneth M. Johnson authored the study. I understand that he is collaborating on another study regarding the demographic changes along the Nashua/Manchester Metro area to be released on the 26th of this month at UNH Manchester.

This is important information to know if you are into market research or politics and it is interesting to be aware of even if you don't absolutely need to know. Click on the itle to see the study.  To learn more about the Carsey Institute at UNH click this:

http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/index.html

Congratulations Rich McNamara!

This one isn't immigration related, but hey I can't not mention it when a partner at the firm gets appointed by the Governor as the first Judge of the brand new, specialized, NH business court.

Congratulations soon to be Judge Richard McNamara! If you are a lawyer viewing this page from New Hampshire then you probably already know Rich, what he looks like and what some of his accomplishments are -- but if you would like to know more, check out the firm web site.


www.wiggin-nourie.com

New Hampshire Obama Protesters Don't Dissappoint

Here's a link to the BlueHampshire blog and a you tube video of another glorious NH moment of racial tolerance outside the Obama Health Care Town Hall.

Check out the guy who might have been third runner up in last year's Ernest Hemingway look alike contest shouting through a bullhorn that we don't need illegals and that we should send them home with a bullet in the head. The next thing out of his mouth is a reference to the quote of Jefferson to the effect that the Tree of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. "It's comin' baby!"


Nice job Papa! Way to set a good example for the kids coming up!

This is apparently what passes for political discourse these days. I wonder who he would be left to hate if all the illegal aliens either went home or became legal? Well, I suppose he'd have to be content with just -- Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, Keith Olbermann, Democrats in general, Liberals, Gays, Blacks, Jews, Muslims, imagined Socialists, the World Bank, the IRS and anyone else who has a "reality based" view of the world and politics.

http://bluehampshire.com/diary/8021

Help Wanted - USCIS Designated Civil Surgeons

To my knowledge, there are only two physicians in the entire State of NH approved to administer the USCIS immigration medical examination.


Dr. Anita U Yap
19 Tyler Street, Suite 203, Nashua, NH 03060(603) 880-3122

Dr. John Fothergill,
Indian Stream Health Care, Inc.141 Corliss Lane, Colebrook, NH 03576(603) 237-8336

-- and while I have no reason to doubt that they do a fine job of administering the exam, that is simply not enough physicians for the population they are serving. You might also notice if you are familiar with NH geography that one physician is located in a city that borders Massachusetts and the other is only minutes from Canada.

Is there no one in the Greater Manchester Area that can perform an immigration physical exam? How about the Capitol region? No one on the Seacoast or the Upper Valley? It doesn't appear to be that hard to sign up. Here are the requirements as listed as at USCIS.gov


Doctors interested in being registered as a Designated Civil Surgeon should submit the following to their local District Office:
A letter to the District Director requesting consideration
A copy of a current medical license
A current resume that shows 4 years of professional experience, not including a residency program
Proof of U.S. Citizenship or lawful status in the United States
Two signature cards showing name typed and signature below

I challenge any physician associated with Elliot Hospital or Catholic Medical Center or Concord Hospital or DHMC (or any smaller facility or private practice) to become the next new Designated Civil Surgeon in the State of New Hampshire.

Opening Statement

Welcome to WiggiBlawg from the Immigration Practice Group of Wiggin & Nourie, PA in beautiful downtown Manchester, New Hampshire. I am starting this blawg on 06/25/2009 to discuss matters of interest and import relating to immigration law in the United States.

It is a good day to do so, I suppose, because President Obama is meeting today with Congressional leaders to discuss the future of comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). That is a topic we will be returning to many times I suspect.

Humor is allowed, dissent is allowed, profanity is not allowed, racism is not allowed, personal attacks are not allowed. Comments to posts are moderated by me and will not appear until I have seen them and they clear the above criteria.