Sayer Regan Thayer and Flanagan, LLP - 401.849.3040

Practice Areas

Firm News

view all

Library

Immigration

DUI & Breathalyzer Refusal

Personal Injury

Divorce & Family Law

Estate Planning

Real Estate & Property Law

Human Resources & Employment Law

Sayer, Regan & Thayer, LLP Charitable Activities

General

view all

Case Results

DUI & Breathalyzer Refusal

view all

Admiralty & Maritime Law

view all

 

News

  • Bachmann Group Attacks Perry on Immigration
    A group supporting Rep. Michele Bachmann‘s presidential bid will run a radio ad this week that attacks Texas Gov. Rick Perry for being too moderate on immigration. “Rick Perry signed a law to make taxpayers pay college tuition for illegal immigrants,” the ad says. “Michele Bachmann opposes giving government benefits to illegal immigrants.”
  • USCIS Memo on Advanced Parole
    U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced that it is now issuing employment and travel authorization on a single card for certain applicants filing an Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, Form I-485. This new card represents a significant improvement from the current practice of issuing paper Advance Parole documents.
  • State Lawmakers Conflicted Over Immigration Enforcement Measures
    State Lawmakers Conflicted Over Immigration Enforcement Measures
  • The Globalization of the Summer Job
    They are working in Atlanta, even out in Omaha, all around Niagara and outside Baltimore; they come across the ocean to Springsteen’s Jersey Shore. They are the foreign college student summer workers in the U.S. on a J-1 summer work-travel visa (SWT). You are likely to meet them at almost any vacation resort you visit across America.
  • Mexico Opens California Office to Provide ID for Illegals
    The Mexican government is opening a satellite consular office on Catalina Island -- a small resort off the California coast with a history of drug smuggling and human trafficking -- to provide the island's illegal Mexican immigrants with identification cards.
  • Immigrant Crossings Into Arizona On The Rise
    The latest figures show that Arizona, which is about to put into effect the nation's toughest immigration law, also is the only border state where illegal crossings are on the rise.
  • Five Rhode Island Immigrants Arrested For Fraud
    Rhode Island State Police said they arrested five people — three from Honduras, one from the Dominican Republic and one from Colombia — in connection with drivers’ license fraud after troopers were called to the Division of Motor Vehicles office in Pawtucket on Friday and Monday.
  • Hispanic Leader Criticizes Arizona Law
    The president of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce called the new immigration law in Arizona “deplorable” in an interview on Tuesday and said it will damage the state’s economy.
  • Backing Up On Highway Ramp, Driver Is Charged With DUI
    The driver backing his car on the entry ramp from Route 113 to Route 95 south caught the attention of a state trooper who was just finishing a routine traffic stop.
  • Starbucks Sued Over Hot Tea Alleged To Cause Burns
    Starbucks Corp has been sued by a customer who allegedly suffered second-degree burns after being served tea that was too hot.
  • Baseball Players Begin to Speak Out against Arizona Immigration Law
    Count professional baseball players and their union among the growing chorus speaking out against Arizona’s new immigration law. The law, which will require anyone stopped by law enforcement on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant to show proof of legal status or citizenship, has been criticized by numerous Major League Baseball (MLB) players of Hispanic origin, who make up nearly 28% of the players on MLB teams.
  • 2 Teens Hurt, 1 Charged With DUI In Route 146 Crash
    Two Cranston teenagers were in serious condition at Rhode Island Hospital Sunday afternoon and a third was charged with drunken driving after a crash around midnight Saturday on Route 146, the state police said.
  • Estate Tax Could Come Back With Sharp Bite
    Next year many more families may need to worry about federal estate tax and at the same time could have fewer ways to minimize its bite. In fact, the past decade may come to be looked upon as the golden era of wealth transfer. Some of the changes that could take place next year are already built into the law. Others could emerge through a revenue-driven form of creeping estate tax reform, rather than through a comprehensive thoroughly debated overhaul of the federal estate tax.
  • Vinny Paz Victim of Drunken Driver
    Former boxer Vinny Paz was a passenger in a car that was struck by an alleged drunken driver early Wednesday morning on Route 95, according to the Warwick police. No injuries were reported.
  • New Immigration Bill Puts Police On Front Line Of Border Battle
    There was both outrage and praise Tuesday night for the passage of what many are calling the toughest immigration law in the country. It makes it a state crime to be an undocumented immigrant and it criminalizes hiring and transporting illegal immigrants.
  • Arizona Clears Strict Immigration Bill
    Arizona lawmakers on Tuesday passed one of the toughest pieces of immigration-enforcement legislation in the country, which would make it a violation of state law to be in the U.S. without proper documentation.
  • Hispanics Skeptical That Democrats Will Deliver Immigration Overhaul
    Immigrant advocacy groups have ratcheted up the pressure on lawmakers, saying they risk losing the support of Hispanic voters if they do not establish a way for the 12 million people thought to be in the United States illegally to achieve legal status.
  • Drunk Driver Accused Of Causing Crash Faces Deportation
    A 911 caller helped the Rhode Island State Police track down an erratic driver who apparently caused an accident on Route 10 is now charged with driving drunk and facing deportation.
  • Immigration Reform Activists Keep The Pressure On
    Some say this is the wrong time to talk about immigration reform. Congress just passed a huge overhaul of the nation’s health care system; Republicans and Democrats in Congress seem more divided than ever; the country is still in a recession; and it’s an election year. But with the decks seemingly stacked against them, immigration reform advocates told members of the U.S. ethnic media Monday that they intend to keep up the pressure on legislators to enact immigration reform in 2010.
  • Rhode Island Attorney General Favors Expungement For Some Criminals
    The Rhode Island Attorney General is backing the early expungement of the case files of an entire class of admitted criminals, regardless of what they did.
  • RI Reps Push for In-State Tuition Rates for Immigrants
    Sen. Juan M. Pichardo (D-Dist. 2, Providence) and Rep. Grace Diaz (D-Dist. 11, Providence) tomorrow will join members of the Coalition of Advocates for Student Opportunities and the International Institute of Rhode Island at a news conference to discuss their proposal to grant all students, regardless of immigration status, the opportunity to go to college.
  • RI Lawmakers Continue To Push For In-State Tuition Rates For Immigran
    The Student Equal Economic Opportunity Act (2010-S2262) (2010-H7172) would make higher education more affordable and accessible for undocumented alien students who meet the proper residency requirements, or are in the process of doing so.
  • Panel Hears Two Bills On E-Verify Program
    Two competing bills relating to the E-Verify employment system that tries to weed out undocumented workers drew advocates for both sides at a hearing before the House Committee on Labor Tuesday night.
  • Tens of Thousands Rally for Immigration Reform
    Frustrated with the lack of action to overhaul the country's immigration system, tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied on the National Mall and marched through the streets of the capital Sunday, waving American flags and holding homemade signs in English and Spanish.
  • USCIS Issues Fact Sheet on DHS E-Verify Initiatives
    USCIS issued a fact sheet listing questions and answers on the three new E-Verify initiatives announced by DHS and USCIS on 3/17/10. Topics include the memorandum of agreement (MOA) with DOJ, employee hotline, and civil rights and civil liberties videos.
  • Sheriff Launches Immigration Sweep
    The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in Arizona has launched a two-day, countywide crime and immigration sweep that authorities say will focus on drop houses, drug violators and human smuggling vehicles.
  • Obama Backs Plan To Legalize Illegal Aliens
    President Obama gave a thumbs up Thursday to the outline of a plan to legalize illegal immigrants and create a flow of low-skilled foreign workers for the future, saying the immigration bill being worked on by a Republican and a Democrat is "promising."
  • White House Won't Rule Out Immigration Reform Not Put to Yea or Nay Vo
    The White House declined on Thursday to rule out that President Barack Obama might sign future legislation, such as an immigration reform measure, that has not been put to a recorded yea-or-nay vote in both houses of Congress.
  • DHS Announces New E-Verify Initiatives
    DHS and USCIS announced three new E-Verify initiatives including an agreement with DOJ to streamline the adjudication process in misuse and discrimination cases, a helpline for employees to offer process information and assistance in completing Form I-9 and training videos.
  • New Immigrants Avoiding Big Cities
    US immigrant populations are spreading out, a study released Monday found. New immigrants and their US-born descendants are expected to grow by 117 million by 2050, making up 82 percent of the US population growth over that period, and will “have important implications for housing demand at a time when aging baby boomers are expected to retire and leave the housing market,” the study predicts.
  • Anxious Time for Liberians in U.S.
    Rhode Island lawmakers expressed optimism Wednesday that Liberians in the state will win another year’s extension of their immigration status before it expires at the end of this month.
  • USCIS to Accept H-1B Petitions for FY 2011 Beginning April 1, 2010
    USCIS announced that it will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the fiscal year (FY) 2011 cap on April 1, 2010. The fiscal year cap (numerical limitation on H-1B petitions) for FY 2011 is 65,000.
  • Immigration Status Inquiry During Traffic Stop
    1st Circuit Court of Appeals found officer entitled to qualified immunity for any possible constitutional violations that he may have committed in asking the van's passengers questions about their immigration status and in contacting ICE. (Estrada v. State of Rhode Island, 2/4/10).
  • H-1B Compliance Review Report
    The H-1B Compliance Review Report includes instructions to assist Site Inspectors (SIs) performing administrative visits. The document communicates the type of information that USCIS is seeking when SIs are performing site visits.
  • ID Card for Workers Is at Center of Immigration Plan
    Lawmakers working to craft a new comprehensive immigration bill have settled on a way to prevent employers from hiring illegal immigrants: a national biometric identification card all American workers would eventually be required to obtain.
  • Driver Nearing Troopers on Highway Charged with DUI
    In the distance, perhaps a half mile to a mile up ahead, the lights of a state police cruiser were visible in the highway breakdown lane as Lt. Wilfred K. Hill spotted a car weaving in and out of that same breakdown lane as he drove toward his colleagues early Friday morning.
  • Obama Looking to Give New Life to Immigration Reform
    Despite steep odds, the White House has discussed prospects for reviving a major overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, a commitment that President Obama has postponed once already.
  • ICE Serves 180 Audit Notices to Businesses in 5 States
    ICE announced issuance of Notices of Inspection (NOIs) to 180 businesses in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee. The notices alert business owners that ICE will inspect their records to determine if they are complying with employment verification laws.
  • Homeschooling: German Family Gets Political Asylum in U.S.
    The Romeikes are not your typical asylum seekers. They did not come to the U.S. to flee war or despotism in their native land. No, these music teachers left Germany because they didn't like what their children were learning in public school - and because homeschooling is illegal there.
  • Study: E-Verify Failure Rate Over 50%
    A federal database used by Rhode Island state contractors to weed out illegal workers misses over half the people it is supposed to catch, according to a new study.
  • Central Falls Councilwoman Pleads No Contest To DUI
    A Central Falls councilwoman appeared in District Court this morning and pleaded no contest to a drunken driving charge stemming from her arrest last summer in Lincoln.
  • DOL Final Rule On Temporary Agricultural Employment of H-2A Aliens In
    The Department of Labor (the Department or DOL) is amending its regulations governing the certification of temporary employment of nonimmigrant workers in temporary or seasonal agricultural employment and the enforcement of the contractual obligations applicable to employers of such nonimmigrant workers. The Department is also amending the regulations at 29 CFR part 501 to provide for enhanced enforcement under the H-2A program requirements so that workers are appropriately protected when employers fail to meet their obligations under the H-2A program.
  • ILLINOIS WOMAN TOLD SHE IS NO LONGER AN AMERICAN
    For years she, and the U.S. government, thought the Bulgarian-born 34-year-old was an American Citizen. But, when she went to renew her passport in 2003, the State Department reportedly told her something terribly different.
  • Richmond Woman Faces Drunken Driving Charges After Route 95 Crash
    A Rhode Island woman faces drunken driving charges after a pickup truck she was driving crashed on Route 95 over the weekend, seriously injuring her passenger.
  • Police Get Warrant To Test Driver's Blood In Fatal Crash
    The driver of an SUV that crashed into two Brown University students, killing one and injuring another, is under arrest on felony drunken driving charges. After the driver refused a test for alcohol, the police obtained a warrant to take blood samples to determine whether there was alcohol in his blood.
  • Gillette Detainees Speak Out For Reform
    Several people detained by immigration officials while on their way to Gillette Stadium to shovel snow spoke out at an emotional rally in Providence Thursday.
  • DOS Annual Report of Immigrant Visa Applicants
    The DOS offers an Annual Report of immigrant visa applicants in both the family and employment based preference categories. The document reports the number of cases that were registered by the National Visa Center as of 11/1/09.
  • Secretary Napolitano Announces Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Request
    Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano unveiled the Department’s $56.3 billion fiscal year 2011 budget request today—prioritizing efforts to enhance security measures that protect against terrorism and other threats and reflecting the Department’s commitment to fiscal discipline and efficiency.
  • How Did Dozens Of Illegal Immigrants Shovel Snow At Gillette Stadium?
    Four days before the New England Patriots’ playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens, 60 Guatemalan day workers headed in a caravan from Providence toward Gillette Stadium, prepared to shovel out the world-class home of one of the most valuable football franchises in the country.
  • North Kingstown Man Charged After Driving Car Onto Half-Frozen Pond
    After watching another driver do it, Samuel T. Richter drove his father’s 1998 Volkswagen Jetta onto a half-frozen pond in Ryan Park. Around 2 a.m. Sunday, he drove down the Belleville Pond boat ramp. But when he tried to get back, the Jetta pitched forward, 143 yards from shore, and began to sink.
  • Housing Recovery Could Take a Decade, Economists Warn - January 27, 20
    Even as the housing market shows signs of improvement, including in new data released Tuesday, economists warn that it could take up to a decade for many homeowners to regain equity in their homes, while some people in the hardest-hit regions of the country may not see a recovery during their lifetime.
  • State Police: Ex-Lawyer Took Clients’ Money
    Disbarred lawyer Robert D. Natal has been arrested by the police and charged with 11 felony counts for misappropriating $1,136,013 from real-estate transactions.
  • •DHS Designates New Countries for H-2A and H-2B Nonimmigrant Visa
    On 1/18/10, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano designated 11 new countries as eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B nonimmigrant visa programs.
  • Home Sales Tank: What it Means for You
    Existing home sales plunged in December, falling nearly 17 percent from November in their largest month-over-month drop since record-keeping began. Meanwhile, December's inventory represented a 7.2-month supply of unsold homes, notably higher than the 6.5-month supply recorded in November, the National Association of Realtors reported Monday. Although the monthly decline was larger than expected, the figures are much less jarring when compared with December 2008. Existing home sales remain 15 percent higher than a year earlier, while raw unsold inventory fell 11 percent from December 2008 to its lowest level since March 2006.
  • Home Prices Rise For 6th Straight Month
    Home prices rose for the sixth straight month in November, fueled by tax credits for homebuyers. Rising prices are important to the economic recovery because they make homeowners feel wealthier and lead them to spend more money.
  • December Home Sales Down Nearly 17 %
    Sales of previously occupied homes took the largest monthly drop in more than 40 years last month, plunging far deeper than expected after lawmakers gave buyers extended time to use a tax credit.
  • U.S. Says to Send Home Illegal Haitian Immigrants
    Haitian citizens who arrive in the United States illegally after the Jan. 12 earthquake will be sent home, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said on Friday.
  • ICE Assists in Haiti Relief Effort
    On 1/18/10, ICE announced that it had deployed a team of agents to partner with CBP and USCIS to streamline departures for U.S. citizens who may be in Haiti. ICE will assist DOS and USCIS in facilitating the evacuation of orphaned children granted humanitarian parole to temporarily enter the U.S.
  • Man Will Face Drunken Driving Charges In Hit-Run Crash
    A Barrington man will face charges in a deadly drunk driving hit-and-run in Bristol in April of last year. Matthew Sullivan, 23, allegedly ran down 28-year-old Joseph Hunt of Warren who was walking in the breakdown lane on Hope Street near Meadow Lane. Police say the SUV’s license plate fell off, providing police with his identification.
  • Attorney General Candidate Vows To Get Tough On Drunken Driving
    A Smithfield Democrat who wants to be the state’s next attorney general unveiled a “four-point” plan Monday that calls for the state to take a tougher stance against drunken drivers.
  • Immigration Agents Stop Vans Taking Workers to Gillette Stadium
    Sixty people stopped by immigration authorities in Foxboro early Wednesday morning had driven from Rhode Island to clear snow at Gillette Stadium, according to several of the workers who were detained and released.
  • USCIS Vacination Requirements
    USCIS issued a list of questions and answers to provide basic information about the general vaccination requirements for immigrants (including individuals seeking adjustment of status), and specifically about the assessment made by the civil surgeon to determine whether an applicant meets the vaccination requirements.
  • Prosecutor Admits Refusing Breath Test
    A federal prosecutor admitted at the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal on Monday that he refused to submit to a chemical breath test when the Warwick police arrested him Thanksgiving morning under suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
  • DOJ and ICE Reach $4.5 Million Agreement with Pilgrim's Pride
    On 12/30/09, ICE announced that the U. S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Texas, Pilgrim's Pride Corporation, and ICE have reached a non-prosecution agreement to resolve an investigation with respect to the hiring and employment of unauthorized aliens at Pilgrim's Pride's plants in the Eastern District of Texas.
  • USCIS Fiscal Year 2008 Report on Characteristics of Specialty Occupation Workers (H-1B)
    USCIS issued a report on Characteristics of Specialty Occupation Workers (H-1B) from October 2007 to September 2008. The report contains information on the countries of origin, occupations, educational levels, and compensation of aliens issued H-1B visas during FY 2008.
  • Drunken Driving Accidents, Arrests Plentiful In Rhode Island
    It is called the “Drunk Driving Death Clock.” You can watch it move on the Web; stare at its black face and wait for the yellow digital number to grow by one every 40 minutes — the way you might stare passing a three-car pile-up. 9,898 … 10,902 … 11,667… The number is a symbolic inventory of lives lost each year in the United States from drunken driving.
  • Assistant U.S. Attorney in R.I. Charged with Refusing a Breath Test
    A veteran federal prosecutor was charged early Thanksgiving morning with refusing to take a chemical breath test after two drivers told the police a man at the wheel of a small BMW appeared “out of it,” was “driving all over the road” and had hit curbs on Airport Road.
  • CBP Press Release on FY 09 Data
    CBP announced that it had encountered more than 224,000 inadmissible aliens at ports of entry and apprehended more than 556,000 individuals between the land ports of entry in fiscal year 2009.
  • R.I. Officers Can Now Compel Blood-Alcohol Sampling
    The state has a new law that allows the police to compel motorists who are suspected of drinking and are involved in crashes resulting in death or serious bodily injury to undergo blood-alcohol testing.
  • Police & MADD Kick Off Program To Curb Holiday Drunken Driving
    Police officials from around the state on Monday joined representatives from Mothers Against Drunk Driving in urging people to tie a red MADD ribbon on their cars –– a campaign to remind people not to drink and drive over the holiday weekend.
  • Police Arrest Driver After House Crash
    An East Providence man is in police custody after a chase that made its way through four communities early Monday. John Darosa, 20, of 40 Wannissett Ave. in Riverside, is charged with eluding the police, driving with a suspended license and refusing a chemical breath test.
  • October Home Sales Rise 10.1 % From September
    The National Association of Realtors said Monday that home resales rose 10.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.1 million in October, from a downwardly revised pace of 5.54 million in September.
  • ICE Announces 1,000 New Workplace Audits
    ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton announced the issuance of Notices of Inspection (NOIs) to 1,000 employers associated with critical infrastructure, alerting business owners that ICE will audit their hiring records to determine compliance with employment eligibility verification laws.
  • ICE Form I-9 Inspection Overview and Civil Fine Guidance
    ICE released guidance on Form I-9 inspections and civil fines. The guidance outlines the process of an I-9 inspection and provides five factors that ICE considers during the course of the inspection and when determining a recommended fine.
  • DHS Launches Campaign to Recognize Employers Using E-Verify
    DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton, USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas announced the new "I E-Verify" campaign to recognize the approximately 170,000 businesses that use E-Verify, DHS' online system to verify employment eligibility of new hires.
  • 2 R.I. Businesses Being Audited By ICE
    Two Rhode Island businesses are among a thousand nationwide — and 32 in New England — whose hiring records will be audited by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to determine whether they are complying with employment eligibility verification laws and to ensure they are not “cultivating illegal workplaces.”
  • 4 R.I. Troopers Receive ICE Training
    Four Rhode Island state troopers will be deputized with immigration powers by early 2010, nearly two years after Governor Carcieri sought the state-federal partnership, and during the waning months of his administration.
  • Sen. Kerry’s Daughter Alexandra Arrested On Suspicion of DUI
    Sen. John Kerry’s daughter, Alexandra Forbes Kerry, was arrested in Los Angeles Thursday on suspicion of driving under the influence.
  • Advance Copy of DHS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Establishment of Global Entry Program
    DHS CBP issued an advance copy of a notice of proposed rulemaking on establishment of the Global Entry Program as a permanent voluntary regulatory program. The program would allow CBP to expedite clearance of pre-approved, low-risk air travelers into the United States.
  • DHS News Release on Record Foreign Student Attendance
    DHS issued a news release on record foreign student attendance reported in the Institute of International Education 2009 Open Doors Report. At more than 670,000 foreign students choosing the U.S., the latest surge marks a growth rate not seen since 1980 and continues a pattern of growth over the past three years.
  • Housing Slump May Worsen Next Year, Not Get Better
    If you already took advantage of the government's tax credit for first-time homebuyers-or are planning to do it anytime soon-you'll probably agree with this prediction: Sales of existing homes will peak in the final quarter of 2009, then begin a year-long slide, which is likely to be a sharp one, according to some estimates.
  • United States Citizenship & Immigration Service Updates Fiscal Year 2010 H-1B and H-2B Count
    USCIS updated its count of FY 2010 cap-subject H-1B petitions and advanced degree cap-exempt petitions, as well as FY 2010 H-2B petitions received as of 11/06/2009.
  • Grand Jury Indicts Motorcyclist For DUI, Death Resulting
    NEWPORT, R.I. -- The Newport County Grand Jury on Friday indicted Joseph Beirola, 48, of 43 Pocasset Ave., Tiverton, on a charge of driving while under the influence of alcohol and driving to endanger, death resulting. Beirola lost control of his motorcycle on Route 24 on the Main Road off-ramp in Tiverton on June 13, according to the Tiverton police. His passenger, Janet C. Valcourt, 53, of 191 Lawton St., Fall River, was fatally injured. The defendant is to be arraigned in Newport County Superior Court on Thursday.
  • Remarks By Department of Homeland Security on Immigration Reform
    DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano spoke at the Center for American Progress about the broad need for immigration reform. She remarked that to secure the nation by enforcing the law and managing legal flows across the border as effectively as possible, DHS needs immigration reform.
  • ICED OUT: How Immigration Enforcement Has Interfered with Workers' Rights Report
    AFL-CIO, American Rights at Work and the National Employment Law Project issued a report titled ICED OUT: How Immigration Enforcement Has Interfered with Workers' Rights.
  • Doctor Allegedly Faked Exams For Immigrants
    A doctor is accused of giving medical clearance to immigrants applying for U.S. visas by allegedly falsifying the results of medical exams and lab tests.
  • Driver Faces DUI Charges After Hitting House
    Police have released more details about a car crash that ended inside a Cranston home. The driver was taken into custody and charged with driving under the influence and refusing to take a chemical breath test.
  • Without Notice Expungements Almost Expanded
    Amid the chaos of last week’s special legislative session, advocates of a bill that would automatically erase a whole new class of criminal records scored a short-lived victory at the State House.
  • Tiverton Man Busted For Bomb Threat Against Boss
    A Tiverton man’s alleged threat to place a pipe bomb at his employer’s place of business if he got laid off drew quick action last Tuesday afternoon from 30 to 40 law enforcement officers from over half a dozen local, state, and federal agencies.
  • Proposed Law Would Require Pay For Sick Workers
    U.S. employers who tell workers to stay home when they are sick will have to give them paid time off for up to five days under new federal legislation proposed on Tuesday. The emergency law would cover pandemic H1N1 flu or any other infectious disease, said California Representative George Miller, a Democrat who chairs the House Education and Labor Committee and who introduced the bill.
  • ICE Launches Campaign to Raise Public Awareness of Trafficking Victims
    ICE launched a Public Service Announcement campaign to draw public attention to the plight of human-trafficking victims in the US that includes those who are sexually exploited or forced to work against their will.
  • HHS Final Rule to Remove HIV Travel Ban
    Through this final rule, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is amending its regulations to remove ``Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection' from the definition of communicable disease of public health significance and remove references to ``HIV' from the scope of examinations for aliens.
  • Church Leaders Urging Welcome of Immigrants
    Hoping to set a new tone in the debate on immigration, some of the state’s religious leaders are reminding the faithful of the biblical command to “welcome the stranger” in their midst.
  • Pending Home Sales Rise For 8th Straight Month
    Pending home sales rose for the eighth straight month in September as new home buyers rushed to take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit before it expires at the end of the month, according to an industry group. The National Association of Realtors said Monday that pending home sales rose 6.1 percent to 110.1 from 103.8 in August. It was the largest annual increase on record and marked the longest streak of gains since the measurement began in 2001. It was also the highest level in nearly three years.
  • RI Lawmakers Adopt Indoor Prostitution Ban
    Rhode Island would close a legal loophole allowing prostitutes to ply their trade indoors under legislation that state lawmakers approved Thursday and is headed to Gov. Don Carcieri, who is expected to sign it.
  • USCIS Issues Public Charge Fact Sheet
    USCIS issued a fact sheet for non-citizens about public charge determinations. An individual who is likely at any time to become a "public charge" is inadmissible to the U.S. and ineligible to become a legal permanent resident. Some non-citizens and their families are eligible for public benefits without being found to be a public charge.
  • DHS Estimates of the Legal Permanent Resident Population in 2008
    This report presents estimates of the legal permanent resident (LPR) population living in the United States on January 1, 2008.
  • USCIS Public Naturalization Information Sessions
    On 10/27/09 USCIS updated its list of public naturalization information sessions. The list of upcoming sessions is available on the USCIS website.
  • Realtor Data Shows Home Sales Continued to Climb in September
    Warwick, RI, October 27, 2009…According to data released by the Rhode Island Association of Realtors today, Rhode Island existing single family home sales rose 27.9 percent in September and the number of days a single family home stayed on the market dropped to 87 from a high of 109 earlier this year. Sales activity appears to be spurred by the $8000 tax credit from the federal government available to eligible buyers. The number of single family homes available for sale has dropped steadily since June, falling more than 20 percent from September 2008 to September 2009. There is currently a 6.8 month supply of single family homes for sale. A six- month supply of inventory indicates parity between buyers and sellers and thus, a balanced market. Inventory has decreased from a 14-month supply in January.
  • Senate Close to Deal Replacing Homebuyer Tax Credit
    U.S. Senate leaders moved closer to an agreement replacing an expiring $8,000 tax credit for first- time homebuyers with a smaller one that would expand access to so-called step-up purchasers, two people familiar with the matter said. The deal would reduce the size of the tax credit to 10 percent of the sale’s price, capped at $7,290, the people said. The credit would be available on home purchases that are under contract by April 30, and borrowers would have 60 days more to close the sale.
  • Customs and Border Patrol Creates Electronic Reading Room to Increase Public Access to Documents
    Customs and Border Patrol launched an upgraded Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room designed to increase public access to agency records and documents. The site will feature records and documents formerly only available through FOIA request.
  • Person Detained by ICE Passes Away at Boston Hospital
    On 10/19/09, Pedro Juan Tavarez, a 49-year-old national of the Dominican Republic being held on immigration violations, passed away at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA.
  • Death of Man in ICE Custody Leaves Questions
    PROVIDENCE –– Family members of Pedro Juan Tavarez, a 49-year-old former Providence taxi driver, say they want authorities to investigate Tavarez’s sudden death Monday at a Boston hospital while he was in immigration custody. Authorities say Tavarez was taken to Brigham & Women’s Hospital with suspected pneumonia, but no cause of death has been released.
  • ICE ANNOUNCES STANDARDIZED AGREEMENTS WITH 67 STATE AND
    WASHINGTON—Assistant Secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
    John Morton today announced standardized Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs) with 67 state and local law enforcement agencies to participate in 287(g) partnerships—improving public safety by prioritizing criminal aliens who are a threat to local communities, ensuring consistent and uniform policies and providing a force multiplier for ICE’s immigration enforcement efforts across the country.
  • RI Rep. Accused of DUI Pleads No Contest
    A Rhode Island legislator has pleaded no contest to driving under the influence of alcohol. Rep. Raymond Sullivan, a Coventry Democrat who managed Barack Obama's presidential campaign in the state, entered the plea Thursday midway through his trial in Kent County District Court.
  • Man Faces Felony DUI After Two Arrests In A Week
    A 27-year-old Bristol man is behind bars after being arrested twice for drunk driving and getting into a separate car accident in less than a week. All three incidents occurred within close proximity of his home off Broadcommon Road.
  • SECRETARY NAPOLITANO AND ICE ASSISTANT SECRETARY MORTON ANNOUNCE NEW IMMIGRATION DETENTION REFORM INITIATIVES
    Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Secretary John Morton today announced new initiatives as part of the Department’s ongoing immigration detention reform efforts—enhancing the security and efficiency of ICE’s nationwide detention system while prioritizing the health and safety of detainees.
  • Department of Homeland Security Rescission of Safe-Harbor Procedures for Employers Who Receive a No-Match Letter
    The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is amending its regulations by rescinding the amendments relating to procedures that employers may take to acquire a safe harbor from receipt of No-Match letters. After further review, DHS has determined to focus its enforcement efforts relating to the employment of aliens not authorized to work in the United States on increased compliance through improved verification, including participation in E- Verify, ICE Mutual Agreement Between Government and Employers (IMAGE), and other programs.
  • USCIS Naturalization Test to Become Fully Implemented; All Citizenship Applicants to take the New Test Beginning Oct. 1
    U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is reminding the public that beginning Oct. 1, all citizenship applicants must take the new naturalization test, regardless of when they filed their Application for Naturalization
  • Department of State Notice of Registration for the Diversity Immigrant (DV-2011) Visa Program
    Department of State issues notice on how to apply for the Diversity Immigrant (DV-2011) Visa Program. Entries for the DV-2011 Diversity Visa lottery must be submitted electronically between noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), Friday, October 2, 2009, and noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST), Monday, November 30, 2009.
  • Immigration & Customs Enforcement Report on Immigration Detention: Overview and Recommendations
    On October 6, 2009, ICE released a report authored by Dr. Dora Schriro, former Director of the Office of Detention Policy and Planning, providing an overview and recommendations for Immigration Detention.
  • O'Hare Airport Temporary Staffing Employees Sentenced for Harboring Undocumented Aliens
    The owner of a Bensenville temporary employment agency and her assistant were sentenced
    in federal court Wednesday for harboring illegal aliens and assisting those workers in obtaining
    unauthorized access to secure areas at O'Hare International Airport, including the tarmac. The sentences
    resulted from a multi-agency federal investigation conducted in 2007 and led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
  • Senator Questions Fraud In The H-1B Program
    One year after an internal assessment showed extensive fraud and abuse in the H-1B visa program, Senator Chuck Grassley today is asking U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to hold employers accountable by requesting evidence from petitioners that H-1B visa holders actually have a job waiting for them in the United States.
  • Attorney General Issues 30 More Subpoenas in Expanding Immigration Fraud Investigation
    Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that - as part of his office’s expanding investigation into immigration fraud - he is issuing more than thirty additional subpoenas to organizations and individuals accused of engaging in fraudulent immigration business practices.
    The organizations and individuals allegedly pose as legitimate immigration service providers and provide legal services that they are not authorized to perform. The subpoenas issued today demand documents and testimony from the organizations and individuals within thirty days.
  • Department Of Justice Awards Education Campaign Grants to Fight Immigration-Related Employment Discrimination
    On 9/28/09 the Justice Department announced that it has awarded $723,000 in grants to twelve groups serving communities throughout the country, to conduct public education programs for workers and employers about federal protections against immigration-related job discrimination.
  • 2011 Diversity Visa Lottery Program Registration
    The Department of State announces the opening of the registration period for the DV-2011 Diversity Visa lottery. Entries for the DV-2011 Diversity Visa lottery must be submitted electronically between noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), Friday, October 2, 2009, and noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST)
    (GMT-5), Monday, November 30, 2009. Applicants may access the electronic Diversity Visa entry form (E-DV) at www.dvlottery.state.gov during the registration period. Paper entries will not be accepted. Applicants are strongly encouraged not to wait until the last week of the registration period to enter. Heavy demand may result in website delays. No entries will be accepted after noon EST on November 30, 2009.
  • House Passes Stopgap Bill; Four Immigration-Related Programs Extended
    On 09/25/09, the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution that would fund continued federal government operations through October 31, 2009. Included in the legislation are provisions that would extend the E-Verify, Religious Worker, Conrad 30 and EB-5 programs. The continuing resolution, which was passed as part of the FY10 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill (H.R. 2918), is now headed to the Senate where it is expected to be considered on Tuesday, September 29.
  • I-751 Filing and Adjudicating Procedures for Parties Separated but Not Yet Divorced
    Until recently, USCIS held that separated, but not yet divorced, conditional residents were ineligible to file I-751 waivers. Ineligible conditional residents in this situation are at risk of being placed in removal proceedings. The recently issued Neufeld Memorandum, I-751 Filed Prior to Termination of Marriage provides a bit of a reprieve.
  • 72 Year Old Woman Sentenced To Nearly 4 Years For Leading A Visa Fraud Scheme
    DALLAS - A 72-year-old grandmother who operated a marriage fraud ring for decades was sentenced Sept. 23 to serve 44 months in federal prison. The sentence was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. The case was investigated by the following agencies: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General, the Health and Human Services Commission's Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General.
  • Maryland District Court Strikes Down The Widow Penalty
    The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Southern Division, found that petitioners were eligible for classification as immediate relatives of their citizen spouses who died before the couples' second year of marriage where the citizens filed an I-130 prior to their deaths. Robledo v. Chertoff (S.D. MD 9/25/09). AILA Doc. No. 09092564.
  • Florida District Court Strikes Down Widow Penalty
    The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Fort Pierce Division, found that despite a U.S. Citizen I-130 petitioner's death prior to adjudication on the merits, USCIS had no basis to revoke or terminate the petition for classification as an immediate relative. Maclean v. Napolitano (S.D. FL 09/24/09). AILA Doc. No. 09092565.
  • Immigration Reform: Congress’s Perennial Pothole
    At a gathering in Washington this week, long-time immigration reform advocate Congressman Luis Gutierrez announced that he would soon introduce a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the House. This marker bill is likely to have something for everyone in it, combining the DREAM Act, family reunification, a legalization program, and even smart-enforcement components. He gave the self-imposed deadline of October 13 for the framework to be ready and it couldn’t come sooner.
  • Missouri Poultry Processing Plant Pays $450,000 Fine For Hiring Illegal Aliens
    SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - A southwest Missouri poultry-processing plant where 136 illegal alien workers were arrested in 2007 paid a $450,000 administrative fine Friday as a result of a worksite enforcement investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The settlement further directs George's to train its human resource managers and employees on how to avoid hiring illegal aliens, and to establish a compliance program to ensure that it's hiring and employment practices are in accordance with U.S. immigration laws.
  • Proxy Wedding Means U.S. Marine's Alien Widow And Baby Unwelcome
    Hotaru Ferschke just wants to raise her 8-month-old son in his grandparents' Tennessee home, surrounded by photos and memories of the father he'll never meet: a Marine who died in combat a month after marrying her from thousands of miles away. Sgt. Michael Ferschke was killed in Iraq in 2008, leaving his widow and infant son, both Japanese citizens, in immigration limbo: A 1950s legal standard meant to curb marriage fraud means U.S. authorities do not recognize the marriage, even though the military does.
  • E-Verify Federal Contractor Rule Effective 9/8/09
    U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is reminding federal contractors and subcontractors that effective today, they may be required to use the E-Verify system to verify their employees’ eligibility to work in the United States if their contract includes the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) E-Verify clause. In July, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano strengthened employment eligibility verification by announcing the Administration’s support for the regulation that will award federal contracts only to employers who use E-Verify to check employee work authorization.
    The E-Verify federal contractor rule extends use of the E-Verify system to cover federal contractors and subcontractors, including those who receive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. Applicable federal contracts awarded and solicitations issued on or after today will include a clause committing government contractors to use E-Verify.
  • Vendors to the Federal Government Face E-Verify Mandate
    On 8/25/09, a federal district judge for the District of Maryland denied the US Chamber of Commerce's challenge to an amendment to the Federal Appropriation Regulation--originally mandated by a Bush Executive Order and recently adopted by the Obama Administration. As a result, as of 9/8/09, the Federal Appropriation Regulations will require that participating vendors (and flow-down subcontractors) initiate E-Verify for active and new employees. Because every employer in the country is required to have a Federal Form I-9 on file for each employee hired after November 6, 1986, that establishes work authorization, and because, by virtue of this decision, the Federal Government will mandate that each federal vendor sign-up for E-Verify, the impact of today's decision is immensely significant.
  • United States and Mexico Announce Agreements For Cross Border Public Security Administration
    Washington/Mexico City—The Departments of Homeland Security and State announced today that senior officials on the United States-Mexico High-Level Consultative Commission on Telecommunications (HLCC) have signed a bilateral telecommunications agreement to support a new cross border communications network for public safety and law enforcement organizations focused on strengthening border security. The agreement establishes a bilateral working group through which the Department of Homeland Security of the United States and the Secretariat of Public Security (SSP) of Mexico will coordinate the installation and operation of the network. The new network will allow participating public safety organizations to coordinate incident response and cooperate on a broad array of law enforcement activities through the establishment of new cross border voice, data and video channels. The agreement also provides radio interference protection for the network’s infrastructure and a process under which the bilateral working group can establish interoperable communications for qualifying federal, state, local and tribal public safety and law enforcement organizations that are invited to participate in the network.
    The senior HLCC officials who signed the agreement were: Ambassador Philip L. Verveer, U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, U.S. Department of State; Ms. Gabriela Hernandez Cardoso, Mexico’s Under Secretary of Communications; and Under Secretary Jose Francisco Niembro Gonzalez, Mexico’s Under Secretary of Institutional Development and Evaluation in the SSP. Negotiation of the agreement stemmed from a recommendation by HLCC working level officials in May 2008 to formulate a long-term plan to advance critical cross border communications networks for improving border security and combating border violence. A copy of the agreement is available at: http://www.state.gov/e/eeb/rls/othr/telecom/128506.htm. ###
  • Technical Changes and Corrections to H-2B Labor Certification Process
    On December 19, 2008 the Department of Labor's (Department) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) published a Final Rule titled ``Labor Certification Process and Enforcement for Temporary Employment in Occupations Other Than Agriculture or Registered Nursing in the United States (H-2B Workers), and Other Technical Changes.' It has come to ETA's attention that due to a technical oversight a certain part of the final regulations was deleted from the Final Rule publication. The Department did not intend to remove this language from the regulations and through this correction notice the Department seeks to reinsert the inadvertently deleted language.
  • R.I. Advisory Panel On Immigrants Questions Carcieri’s Order
    Governor Carcieri’s advisory panel monitoring his 2008 executive order on illegal immigrants met for the last time yesterday, with Carcieri reiterating that the issue “was a tough one, a complicated one,” but one that he had no regrets about tackling. “What I’m trying to do in a measured, limited way, is to begin to deal with an issue that has an enormous impact on our state and our nation, and awaken our federal legislators that something’s gotta be done,” the governor said. “Some of you voiced the opinion, ‘Governor, you should stay out of this. It’s too complex and too sensitive an issue.’ I felt, and I still feel, this is an extraordinarily important issue for our state — an issue the governor needs to respond to.”
  • RI State Police To Enforce Immigration Law
    Rhode Island State Police detectives will function as federal agents with the power to arrest immigration violators under an agreement that's part of Gov. Don Carcieri's crackdown on illegal immigrants. The deal with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, announced Wednesday, will allow the four detectives to become immigration officers. Once trained, the detectives can arrest illegal immigrants for immigration offenses so long as the targets are suspected of involvement in serious crimes, gangs, smuggling or trafficking. "The focus will be on those illegal aliens who are engaged in criminal activity," State Police Superintendent Brendan Doherty said in a written statement.
  • Toyota Developing Anti-Drunk Driving Gadget
    Toyota Motor said Monday it was developing anti-drunk driving equipment that would lock the ignition of a vehicle if high levels of alcohol are detected in the driver.
    The system features a hand-held breathalyser, equipped with a digital camera, that detects alcohol consumption and photographs the driver's face for identification, a company statement said.
  • Central Falls Councilwoman Pleads Not Guilty To DUI
    A Central Falls city councilwoman pleaded not guilty Friday to a drunken driving charge. Councilwoman Eunice Delahoz was arrested recently in Lincoln on drunken driving charges. According to the arresting officer, she tried to use her councilwoman status to get out of being arrested.
  • Driver In Fatal Crash Faces DUI Homicide Charges
    The driver of a sports car that crashed into a tree killing one passenger and injuring two others has been charged with motor vehicle homicide while drunk.
    Bourne police told The Boston Globe that Jonathan Muir, 21, of Falmouth was charged with motor vehicle homicide while under the influence of alcohol, two counts of causing serious bodily injury while under the influence of alcohol, operating to endanger, and speeding.
    Police said Muir was driving a 1984 Porsche 944 through Bourne in the early morning hours of June 29 when he apparently lost control of the car and hit a tree.
    Cassandra Flynn-Rakos of Bourne was killed. Sonya Dangelo and Erica Pouler, both of Bourne, were hurt. All were 21.
  • Councilwoman arrested for DUI Cops: Son Asleep In Backseat When Car Stopped
    LINCOLN, R.I. - Police arrested a Central Falls Councilwoman and charged her with DUI after an officer saw her driving a dark sedan erratically on Great Road in Lincoln. Eunice Dejesus Delahoz, 43, was stopped shortly after 11 p.m. June 26. Police said Delahoz had been swerving all over the road and at one point observed her nearly hitting another vehicle travelling in the opposite direction on Great Road near an intersection at River Road. Police said Delahoz told them she had three glasses of wine and was coming from a reunion. Police also said her teenage son was asleep in the back seat of the car she was driving.
  • Man Killed And Two Injured In Block Island DUI Crash
    A Block Island ferry employee has been charged with drunken driving in connection with a single-vehicle crash that left a coworker dead and two women injured. Police say Craig Huntley of Narragansett was the driver of a truck that hit a stone wall and utility pole on Corn Neck Road at about 1 a.m. Tuesday. The 56-year-old Huntley was ordered held on $20,000 bail at his arraignment Tuesday. Police say 28-year-old rear-seat passenger Mitchell Paskins was ejected from the vehicle and died. Chief Vincent Carlone tells The Providence Journal that Huntley refused a test for alcohol, but officers felt there was probable cause to charge him with driving under the influence. Carlone says the fatal accident was the first on the island since 2002.
  • Immigration Agency Says Backlog Virtually Gone
    FBI name checks on people seeking to work or live in the United States or become citizens are getting completed more quickly, slicing through a backlog that had left some petitions pending for more than a year, immigration officials said Monday. The FBI hired more workers, beefed up its training programs and upgraded its technology to handle the average of 6 million to 7 million applications that stream through the agency each year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials said. The delays came during the FBI's routine checks for possible criminal backgrounds and national security questions. But now, nearly all name check requests submitted to the FBI are being answered within 30 days. The remaining 2 percent are finished within 90 days, USCIS officials said.
  • Mom Accused Of Driving Drunk With Child In Car
    TAUNTON, Mass. (AP) -- A Taunton woman has been charged with being drunk when she crashed her car into a tree with her 4-year-old daughter in the back.
    Corina Collins was released on personal recognizance after her arraignment Wednesday on charges of operating under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and reckless endangerment of a child.
    Police say the 32-year-old woman crashed into a tree on Monday. She told police she took a turn too wide.
    The Taunton Daily Gazette reports that responding officers could smell alcohol on her breath so they conducted field sobriety tests, which she failed.
    A Breathalyzer test showed that her blood alcohol level was .236, nearly three times the legal limit.
    Neither mother nor child was seriously hurt.
  • Democrats Face Crucial Immigration Test
    After twice postponing a highly anticipated meeting between President Barack Obama and congressional leaders on immigration reform, the White House is under increasing pressure to get legislation done this year. Winning congressional approval of an immigration measure by December is a steep climb, with the economy, health care and energy higher on the president’s agenda. So far, Obama has promised only to begin the discussion at the summit set for next week.
  • Firms Protest Bill Barring Hiring Bias
    The annual State House debate over the erasure of criminal records resumes this week with a new entry: a bill to ban employers from denying a job to someone because of their criminal history or make them state — in writing — what other reason they might have had for turning someone down.
  • Supporters Urge Speedier Erasure of Criminal Records
    Year after year, minority advocates, defense lawyers and the gun lobby promote bills to allow the expungement of multiple crimes or cut in half the current waiting time to wipe clean a criminal record, while the attorney general, the business community — and in years past, the state police and governor — warn against making it impossible for employers to do meaningful criminal background checks.
  • RI Senators Introduce Bills for Changes in DUI, Driving Laws
    The Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings at the State House to discuss a number of bills that could establish new motor vehicle offenses. Of the twelve bills under consideration, five are aimed specifically at strengthening penalties against drivers convicted of driving under the influence. One bill would make it a felony to drive with a license suspended for either DUI or refusing to submit to a chemical test. Another bill would allow police to obtain a search warrant to take blood, breath or urine samples for testing from drivers suspected of being under the influence.
  • DUI Suspect, “Surrender your license!”
    A Rhode Island state representative wants to see drivers who fail or refuse a Breathalyzer test have their licenses suspended immediately, before their case goes to trial. A bill that died last year in the House Judiciary Committee would give bail commissioners the authority to immediately suspend the license of a driver who refused to take a breath test for alcohol. Currently, only judges of the District Court and Traffic Tribunal have that power.
  • New Legislation Would Avail Search Warrants For DUI Stops
    A new Rhode Island House bill — H5039 — would give police the opportunity to request a search warrant that would allow the taking of blood, breath or urine, or perform a chemical test in potential cases of driving under the influence. If probable cause exists that the individual has been driving under the influence of intoxicating liquor or narcotics and the individual has refused to consent to a chemical test when asked by the officer, the police could petition for a search warrant under this legislation. The warrant would be available to law enforcement only in incidents that resulted in death or serious bodily injury. Current state law forbids the use of a search warrant to obtain a bodily tissue sample, if an operator refused a chemical test voluntarily. Forty-four other states, however, allow for the search warrants.
  • NTSB Says Rhode Island Doesn’t Meet Standards On Drunken Driving
    Rhode Island could do a lot more to curb drunken driving, but instead it ranks among three states doing the least, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. This week, the NTSB urged states that have been “unresponsive to previous NTSB safety recommendations” to make bolder moves in addressing drunken-driving accidents and deaths. Rhode Island is among 25 states not doing enough to keep what the board calls “hard-core drinking drivers” off the roads, the NTSB said.
  • Drunken Driver Gets Jail Term For Warwick Crash
    The woman who drove her car over the center lines, killing a Canadian man and badly injuring a Warwick woman in a 2005 accident, said yesterday she took full responsibility for her actions, just before she was ordered to serve 5 years of a 15-year sentence for driving under the influence of alcohol.
  • Judge Uses Vulgar Language As She Is Charged
    Repeatedly using vulgar and racial insults, Superior Court Judge E. Curtissa Cofield argued with a police officer — addressing him as "Negro trooper" at one point — who was trying to process her on a charge of drunken driving in Glastonbury last October, a police video released Monday shows.
  • Rhode Island Court Rules Appeal In Drunken-Driving Case Is Moot
    The Rhode Island Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of a suspect facing a drunken-driving charge who contended that law-enforcement officials improperly obtained records from Westerly Hospital that have become part of the evidence against him.
  • Immigration Panel: Order Created Fear
    Rhode Island Governor Carcieri’s executive order on illegal immigration has created such fear throughout Rhode Island that a panel he appointed to monitor the order’s unintended consequences is recommending he make a “well-publicized clarifying statement” to explain what the order does and doesn’t do.
  • High Court Stays Inmate’s Drunk Driving Release
    In a case that has pitted a Superior Court judge against the Parole Board, the state Supreme Court yesterday delayed a Foster man’s release from prison for driving drunk in a deadly 2003 crash.
  • Rhode Island Lawmaker Pursues Tougher DUI Rules
    Stuck with a label as one of the worst states for drunken driving offenses, a Rhode Island state lawmaker wants to remove that distinction. The National Transportation Safety Board has singled out the state of Rhode Island for its lack of success in curbing drunken driving.
  • RI Cops Arrest Man With .491 Blood Alcohol Level
    Police Say Driver Had .491 Blood Alcohol Level, Believed Highest Ever Recorded In RI
  • Rhode Island Court Ignores Green Card Status
    The Rhode Island Workers’ Compensation Court does not check the immigration status of complainants, and no employee — including undocumented workers — should be afraid to pursue a claim, the court’s chief judge said at a community forum.
  • Cranston Man Is Arrested In Fatal Shooting Of Neighbor
    The police arrested a Daisy Court man they suspect of shooting and killing his next-door neighbor yesterday afternoon. Neighbors said the man who was shot had been hosting a birthday party for one of his children at the time.
  • Rhode Island House OKs Bill To Expunge/Destroy Criminal Records
    Advocates for convicted criminals scored a victory on Smith Hill yesterday. Despite objections from the attorney general, the state police and the governor, the House voted 46 to 17 for a bill to quash and destroy the records of criminal cases in which the accused was given a deferred sentence, usually in exchange for sparing the state a trial by pleading no contest or guilty to a crime.
  • Rhode Island State Police Won’t Conduct Dragnets On Immigrant Drivers
    The Rhode Island State Police will not conduct dragnets to ask drivers about their immigration status, nor will they conduct “any out-of-the-ordinary raids or operations” in search of illegal immigrants as a result of Governor Carcieri’s recent executive order, according to a list of “frequently asked questions” the governor posted on his Web site yesterday.
  • Questions Halt Rhode Island House’s Vote On Expungment Bill
    After a spirited debate in which lawmakers accused one another of trying to rewrite history by running a giant “eraser” through the state’s criminal record books, House leaders had second thoughts yesterday about putting a far-reaching “quash-and-destroy” bill to an immediate vote.
  • Court Rules Rhode Island Need Not Hear Cases On Asbestos
    In a matter closely followed by national business groups, the state Supreme Court is ordering the dismissal of 39 asbestos cases that Canadian residents had filed in Rhode Island. With the ruling, the Supreme Court said Rhode Island is joining 46 other states and the federal government in recognizing a doctrine that allows courts to decline to handle cases if — in the interest of “convenience, efficiency and justice” — they conclude the cases should proceed elsewhere.
  • House Mulls Change In Criminal Sentencing Rules
    Direct Action for Rights and Equality, a Providence civil-rights group, says the more troublesome part of mandatory minimums is that they prevent judges from using discretion in sentencing, effectively tying their hands. The court is not allowed to weigh personal circumstances, such as being a first-time offender.
  • Breathalyzer Challenge
    A state prosecutor and a former House speaker last week debated whether new, harsher penalties apply to those who refuse to take Breathalyzer tests — or whether the penalties enacted in 2006 were wiped out when the governor signed a budget bill containing the law’s old language. The arguments, which took place before the Rhode Island Supreme Court, prompted one justice to say, “The public should not know how sausages or laws are made.”
  • Police On Alert For Young Drinkers
    With prom season in full swing and high school commencements just around the corner, the police are giving notice that they are on high alert for underage drinking and are taking extra steps this year.
  • RI Senate Panel Considers E-Verify Bill
    The bill would require any employer with three or more workers to use a pilot E-Verify program to determine whether the new hire is legally authorized to work in this country. The E-Verify program uses an online government database. An identical measure passed in the House by a 53-to-17 vote last week.
  • Fatal Attraction: How Kids, Cars and Drinking Are Tearing Barrington Apart
    Two police investigations have been opened in the aftermath of an article in the current issue of Rhode Island Monthly magazine that looks at teen drinking issues.
  • Teen Tells Board Of Licenses Details Of Buying Beer That Resulted In A Conviction For DUI Death Resulting
    Some of the beer was drunk that night by Michael J. Silveira, then 16, before Silveira wrecked his car on New Meadow Road in Barrington and killed one of his passengers, Jonathan C. Converse, 16, who had been Silveira’s best friend.
    Silveira pleaded no contest to a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, death resulting, and he was sentenced to serve two years at the Rhode Island Training School.
  • Expect Stalemate On Immigration Reform To Continue
    A lot of Americans can't get their head around the concept of illegal immigrants demanding civil rights from a country whose laws they've broken. After all, these are people who have -- by virtue of not following the rules to get here, live here, work here -- chosen to live outside our system. And now they want to come inside, but only to ask for this and demand that, without admitting they did wrong or acknowledging their responsibility to make it right.
  • Woman Facing Drunk-Driving Charges Fails Drug Test
    A Superior Court judge yesterday ordered the woman the police say was driving drunk last year when she hit a teenager changing a tire to surrender her license after her urine tested positive for amphetamines. In addition, Judge Stephen P. Nugent demanded Heidi Harrall submit to a urine screening immediately after learning she had missed two tests in the last few weeks.
  • Remarks On Immigrants Raise Concerns
    A nonprofit group whose board members include First Lady Sue Carcieri asserts that nearly 45 percent of all immigrants in Rhode Island — legal and illegal — lack high school diplomas and “this low-skilled cohort of immigrants to Rhode Island costs state taxpayers about $212 million per year.”
  • Grand Jury Indicts Drunk Driver In Death Crash
    A 28-year-old local woman has been indicted on multiple felony charges after police said the car accident she caused last year in Middletown led to the death of a Florida woman. Rebecca Faulkner of 26 Stockton Drive, Middletown, was indicted Wednesday by a statewide grand jury on charges of leaving the scene of an accident, death resulting; drunken driving, death resulting; leaving the scene of an accident, personal injury resulting; and reckless driving, personal injury resulting charges.
  • R.I. Employers Face Possible Mandate On E-Verify
    Human-resources advocates support creating a federal electronic employment-verification system to curtail illegal immigration, so long as it’s accurate and reliable. But the human-resource association has a big problem with state legislation that would require employers to check the employment eligibility of newly hired workers through a national Web-based system called E-Verify.
  • Immigration Rally Has Fewer Voices
    On a cool, sunny spring day, hundreds of supporters of immigrant rights turned out at a May Day rally yesterday to decry Governor Carcieri’s executive order that requires state police to check the status of people they suspect of being here illegally and report them to federal immigration authorities. The estimated 300 people in attendance were but a fraction of the participation seen at immigration-rights rallies in years past.
  • Sandra Bullock Hit in A Massachusetts Drunk Driving Accident
    The Lake House star, Sandra Bullock, was involved in a car accident in Gloucester, Massachusetts late Friday night.
    The Boston Herald reports that Bullock was with her husband Jesse James and Mark Hussey, who was driving, when a woman in a station wagon jumped lanes and hit the rented SUV Bullock was in.
  • House OKs Bill Requiring Employers To Verify Citizenship of New Hires
    The immigration question that has blanketed Rhode Island politics in recent weeks saw its first real debate last night, with House lawmakers approving a bill requiring private employers to electronically verify the citizenship of new hires.
    For close to two hours, representatives sparred on the House floor, with some calling the proposal an important first step toward solving the state’s illegal immigration problem and others convinced it will ratchet up discrimination and hurt those here legally. The measure ultimately passed in a 53-to-17 vote and is now headed to the Senate.
  • Rhode Island House Panel OKs Bill That Would Erase Many R.I. Criminal Records
    Over the strong objections of the attorney general and state police, a key House committee has approved a bill to forever remove thousands of crimes from the public record so convicted criminals can tell state licensing boards and prospective employers — with impunity — that they have never been convicted of a crime.
  • Clinton Aide Accepts Deal In DWI Case Fined $900, Had License Revoked For 10 Months
    Sen. Hillary Clinton campaign adviser Sidney Blumenthal slipped into Nashua District Court to plead guilty and be sentenced last month, three weeks earlier than scheduled. Blumenthal pleaded guilty March 28 to a standard, misdemeanor DWI charge. He was fined $900, and his driver's license revoked for 10 months. Blumenthal can seek to get his license restored after 120 days, however, if he completes and alcohol education program in Washington, D.C., court records show.
  • $4.1 Million Awarded In Sex Assault
    A federal jury deliberated 30 minutes Thursday, then awarded a woman more than $4.1 million in punitive damages after finding that her former employer acted with "malice, oppression or with reckless indifference" in failing to protect her from aggravated sexual assault by a state worker.
  • Immigration Lawyer Frank Flanagan Comments to the Providence Journal on H-2B Seasonal Workers
    Employers in Newport and Block Island are scrambling from Florida to the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston, hoping to find seasonal workers before the annual influx of tourists arrives this summer. “People are scared. They are desperate to find workers,” said Frank Flanagan, a Newport attorney who specializes in immigration. One solution is to search for H-2B workers already in the country and see if they are willing to extend their visas. Flanagan said such workers can stay as long as three years if they can find sponsoring employers. So some area hotels are looking south, where the winter tourist season is coming to an end, to find workers willing to stay.
  • Immigration Protesters Had Gig Down Cold
    Political Scene was curious about why protesters this month stormed the governor’s first-floor policy office instead of the governor’s actual office, on the second floor, during a rally to oppose Carcieri’s executive order on immigration.
    Did they know the difference? Did they accidentally open the wrong door?
    Political Scene has learned that the protesters were a lot more organized than some people gave them credit for.
  • Rhode Island Bill Would Require Verification Of New Hires’ Immigration Status
    The plan would mandate all Rhode Island employers with three or more workers to confirm through a Web-based government database whether any new employee is authorized to work in the United States.
  • Immigrants Aren't Cause of All Woes
    No topic in recent memory has polarized Rhode Islanders as much as the debate over illegal immigration.
    Of course, it doesn’t help when state officials ramp up the rhetoric to levels reminiscent of the Red Scare.
  • Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee To Consider Touger DUI Laws
    An Act Relating to Motor and Other Vehicles, Motor Vehicles Offenses, would increase the penalties for convictions for driving under the influence, resulting in death, and driving under the influence, resulting in serious bodily injury.
  • School Found Negligent In Booze Party Crash
    A jury ruled the Archdiocese of Miami liable for $14 million in damages for the car wreck that left a high schooler dead and another paralyzed and brain damaged after a booze-laden year-end party at the home of two students in 2001.
  • Former Congressional candidate arrested on drunk driving charge
    MIDDLETOWN, R.I. --Former Congressional candidate Dave Rogers was arrested in Middletown on a drunken driving charge.
  • Woman Pleads Not Guilty To DUI Charges
    SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. - A woman pleaded not guilty Monday to drunken driving charges after being accused of hitting a teenager standing by the side of the road.
  • The Dog Did It: Woman Gets $300K Deal
    A police dog put a pickup truck into gear, injuring a woman on her way to the mailbox in an incident that has ended with a $300,000 settlement.
  • Recent Study Proves Tort Reform Doesn't Work
    A new study on tort reform by a business-backed institute proves tort reform does not work
  • Rhode Island Cracks Down On Illegal Immigrants
    Governor Carcieri signed a six-point executive order he said will enable “a vast array of state government agencies” to address illegal immigration in Rhode Island. He said he did so because the federal government has dropped the ball on immigration reform and left state taxpayers to pick up what he said are the considerable costs of illegal immigration.
  • Teen Impaired Driver Sentenced To Training School
    A Barrington teenager was sentenced yesterday to six months in the state Training School for driving while impaired, fleeing authorities at Colt State Park and then slamming into a wall, pinning a pedestrian beneath his car. The Dec. 29 crash marked the latest in a string of incidents involving Barrington teenagers, alcohol and either injury or death.
  • Landlords Can Check Potential Renters' Credit
    Is it legal for a landlord to procure a credit check? And what can you do if you refuse and the landlord denies your application?
  • Attorney Peter Brent Regan convinces the Rhode Island Supreme Court and saves his client “hundreds of thousands of dollars”
    The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the large-slip holders because the provisions of the Rhode Island Condominium Act bind the marina association. The justices said that under the act, the original method of allocating assessment fees could not be changed without the agreement of 100 percent of the association members.
  • The ICE age is here
    Rhode Islanders for Immigration law Enforcement," he had a right to call the Immigration Service, known as ICE, or make a citizens arrest whenever he came across someone whom he felt was breaking the law by residing here illegally
  • Large Boat-Slip Marina Unit Owners Prevail in Dispute Over Assessement of Dockominium Fees.
    Attorney Peter Brent Regan Wins On Summary Judgment & Is Awarded Over $26,000 in Attorney's Fees For His Clients
  • Lawmaker Promises To Protect Immigrants
    As another legislative session nears, so too does the promise of another debate over immigration.
  • Teenage drunk driver will serve two years at training school
    The 16-year-old driver of the car that was involved in the Nov. 5 fatal crash on New Meadow Road in Barrington pleaded no contest to driving under the influence of alcohol-death resulting and was sentenced to serve two years at the state juvenile training school.
  • Glocester Man Hit By Drunk Driver
    The police arrested and charged a Burrillville woman for driving under the influence and hitting a man shoveling snow with her car and fleeing the scene.
  • $18.3 million wrongful death automobile accident settlement
    A settlement was reached awarding $18.3 million to the family of a teen killed in an accident. Seventeen-year-old Tim Orefice was killed when his car was hit by a Guilford Texaco tow truck. Secondino, Guilford Texaco, and the company which leased the truck to Guilford Texaco, were all sued in the case.
  • Hospital fined in wrong-site surgery
    A doctor at Rhode Island Hospital started to operate on the wrong side of a patient’s head Friday, barely four months after a wrong-site surgery at the same hospital.
  • Immigration Attorney Francis Flanagan Comments On The Department Of Homeland Security "No Match" Rule
    Employers have received a reprieve from the federal “no match” rule that would have punished businesses for hiring illegal workers, but the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) served notice last week that it’s refusing to give up on the controversial measure.
  • No Charges Filed in Bus Accident
    The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority bus driver who hit and killed a pedestrian in Pawtucket last week will not be facing charges. The driver had barred 57 year old Domenick Paola from the bus for being drunk. After leaving the bus, Paola fell down, got up, and walked in front of the moving bus. Paola was the second pedestrian killed by a RIPTA bus in the last eight months.
  • Rhode Island to Step up Drunk Driving Enforcement for the Holidays
    Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts are banding together this holiday season to keep drunk drivers off the road. Operation Stop Another Needless Tragic Accident, or SANTA, is a team effort between the New England seats who will be petitioning troopers at various points throughout the highways.
  • Judge Sends 3 Teens to Drug & Alcohol Program Following Fatal Crash
    Rhode Island judge, Jeremiah S. Jeremiah, sent three teenagers to a 90 day drug and alcohol program following accusations that the teens consumed alcohol before a fatal car crash. If the teens complete the program, which invovles trips to hospital emergency rooms to see alcohol related crash victims, all charges will be dropped.
  • Drunk Driver Sentenced to 10 Years in Fatal Crash
    The 29 year old Coventry woman who killed a 17 year old Warwick boy while driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana last December was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Though he said he doubted that Dawn Simas was a threat to be a repeat offender, Judge Darigan, told Simas that she needed to go to prison for a significant period of time.

Bachmann Group Attacks Perry on Immigration

A group supporting Rep. Michele Bachmann‘s presidential bid will run a radio ad this week that attacks Texas Gov. Rick Perry for being too moderate on immigration. "Rick Perry signed a law to make taxpayers pay college tuition for illegal immigrants," the ad says. "Michele Bachmann opposes giving government benefits to illegal immigrants."

Read More About Bachmann Group Attacks Perry on Immigration...

back to top

USCIS Memo on Advanced Parole

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced that it is now issuing employment and travel authorization on a single card for certain applicants filing an Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, Form I-485. This new card represents a significant improvement from the current practice of issuing paper Advance Parole documents.

Read More About USCIS Memo on Advanced Parole...

back to top

State Lawmakers Conflicted Over Immigration Enforcement Measures

As many states begin their legislative sessions this week, some lawmakers are conflicted over whether to proceed with strict immigration enforcement measures, forcing them to balance immigration measures with other pressing state priorities.

Read More About State Lawmakers Conflicted Over Immigration Enforcement Measures...

back to top

The Globalization of the Summer Job

They are working in Atlanta, even out in Omaha, all around Niagara and outside Baltimore; they come across the ocean to Springsteen’s Jersey Shore. They are the foreign college student summer workers in the U.S. on a J-1 summer work-travel visa (SWT). You are likely to meet them at almost any vacation resort you visit across America.

Read More About The Globalization of the Summer Job...

back to top

Mexico Opens California Office to Provide ID for Illegals

The Mexican government is opening a satellite consular office on Catalina Island -- a small resort off the California coast with a history of drug smuggling and human trafficking -- to provide the island's illegal Mexican immigrants with identification cards.

Read More About Mexico Opens California Office to Provide ID for Illegals...

back to top

Immigrant Crossings Into Arizona On The Rise

The latest figures show that Arizona, which is about to put into effect the nation's toughest immigration law, also is the only border state where illegal crossings are on the rise.

Read More About Immigrant Crossings Into Arizona On The Rise...

back to top

Five Rhode Island Immigrants Arrested For Fraud

Rhode Island State Police said they arrested five people — three from Honduras, one from the Dominican Republic and one from Colombia — in connection with drivers’ license fraud after troopers were called to the Division of Motor Vehicles office in Pawtucket on Friday and Monday.

Read More About Five Rhode Island Immigrants Arrested For Fraud...

back to top

Hispanic Leader Criticizes Arizona Law

The president of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce called the new immigration law in Arizona “deplorable” in an interview on Tuesday and said it will damage the state’s economy.

Read More About Hispanic Leader Criticizes Arizona Law...

back to top

Backing Up On Highway Ramp, Driver Is Charged With DUI

The driver backing his car on the entry ramp from Route 113 to Route 95 south caught the attention of a state trooper who was just finishing a routine traffic stop.

Read More About Backing Up On Highway Ramp, Driver Is Charged With DUI...

back to top

Starbucks Sued Over Hot Tea Alleged To Cause Burns

Starbucks Corp has been sued by a customer who allegedly suffered second-degree burns after being served tea that was too hot.

Read More About Starbucks Sued Over Hot Tea Alleged To Cause Burns...

back to top

Baseball Players Begin to Speak Out against Arizona Immigration Law

Count professional baseball players and their union among the growing chorus speaking out against Arizona’s new immigration law. The law, which will require anyone stopped by law enforcement on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant to show proof of legal status or citizenship, has been criticized by numerous Major League Baseball (MLB) players of Hispanic origin, who make up nearly 28% of the players on MLB teams.

Read More About Baseball Players Begin to Speak Out against Arizona Immigration Law...

back to top

2 Teens Hurt, 1 Charged With DUI In Route 146 Crash

Two Cranston teenagers were in serious condition at Rhode Island Hospital Sunday afternoon and a third was charged with drunken driving after a crash around midnight Saturday on Route 146, the state police said.

Read More About 2 Teens Hurt, 1 Charged With DUI In Route 146 Crash...

back to top

Estate Tax Could Come Back With Sharp Bite

Next year many more families may need to worry about federal estate tax and at the same time could have fewer ways to minimize its bite. In fact, the past decade may come to be looked upon as the golden era of wealth transfer. Some of the changes that could take place next year are already built into the law. Others could emerge through a revenue-driven form of creeping estate tax reform, rather than through a comprehensive thoroughly debated overhaul of the federal estate tax.

Read More About Estate Tax Could Come Back With Sharp Bite...

back to top

Vinny Paz Victim of Drunken Driver

Former boxer Vinny Paz was a passenger in a car that was struck by an alleged drunken driver early Wednesday morning on Route 95, according to the Warwick police. No injuries were reported.

Read More About Vinny Paz Victim of Drunken Driver...

back to top

New Immigration Bill Puts Police On Front Line Of Border Battle

There was both outrage and praise Tuesday night for the passage of what many are calling the toughest immigration law in the country. It makes it a state crime to be an undocumented immigrant and it criminalizes hiring and transporting illegal immigrants.

Read More About New Immigration Bill Puts Police On Front Line Of Border Battle...

back to top

Arizona Clears Strict Immigration Bill

Arizona lawmakers on Tuesday passed one of the toughest pieces of immigration-enforcement legislation in the country, which would make it a violation of state law to be in the U.S. without proper documentation.

Read More About Arizona Clears Strict Immigration Bill...

back to top

Hispanics Skeptical That Democrats Will Deliver Immigration Overhaul

Immigrant advocacy groups have ratcheted up the pressure on lawmakers, saying they risk losing the support of Hispanic voters if they do not establish a way for the 12 million people thought to be in the United States illegally to achieve legal status.

Read More About Hispanics Skeptical That Democrats Will Deliver Immigration Overhaul...

back to top

Drunk Driver Accused Of Causing Crash Faces Deportation

A 911 caller helped the Rhode Island State Police track down an erratic driver who apparently caused an accident on Route 10 is now charged with driving drunk and facing deportation.

Read More About Drunk Driver Accused Of Causing Crash Faces Deportation...

back to top

Immigration Reform Activists Keep The Pressure On

Some say this is the wrong time to talk about immigration reform. Congress just passed a huge overhaul of the nation’s health care system; Republicans and Democrats in Congress seem more divided than ever; the country is still in a recession; and it’s an election year. But with the decks seemingly stacked against them, immigration reform advocates told members of the U.S. ethnic media Monday that they intend to keep up the pressure on legislators to enact immigration reform in 2010.

Read More About Immigration Reform Activists Keep The Pressure On...

back to top

Rhode Island Attorney General Favors Expungement For Some Criminals

The Rhode Island Attorney General is backing the early expungement of the case files of an entire class of admitted criminals, regardless of what they did.

Read More About Rhode Island Attorney General Favors Expungement For Some Criminals...

back to top

RI Reps Push for In-State Tuition Rates for Immigrants

Sen. Juan M. Pichardo (D-Dist. 2, Providence) and Rep. Grace Diaz (D-Dist. 11, Providence) tomorrow will join members of the Coalition of Advocates for Student Opportunities and the International Institute of Rhode Island at a news conference to discuss their proposal to grant all students, regardless of immigration status, the opportunity to go to college.

Read More About RI Reps Push for In-State Tuition Rates for Immigrants...

back to top

RI Lawmakers Continue To Push For In-State Tuition Rates For Immigran

The Student Equal Economic Opportunity Act (2010-S2262) (2010-H7172) would make higher education more affordable and accessible for undocumented alien students who meet the proper residency requirements, or are in the process of doing so.

Read More About RI Lawmakers Continue To Push For In-State Tuition Rates For Immigran...

back to top

Panel Hears Two Bills On E-Verify Program

Two competing bills relating to the E-Verify employment system that tries to weed out undocumented workers drew advocates for both sides at a hearing before the House Committee on Labor Tuesday night.

Read More About Panel Hears Two Bills On E-Verify Program...

back to top

Tens of Thousands Rally for Immigration Reform

Frustrated with the lack of action to overhaul the country's immigration system, tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied on the National Mall and marched through the streets of the capital Sunday, waving American flags and holding homemade signs in English and Spanish.

Read More About Tens of Thousands Rally for Immigration Reform...

back to top

USCIS Issues Fact Sheet on DHS E-Verify Initiatives

USCIS issued a fact sheet listing questions and answers on the three new E-Verify initiatives announced by DHS and USCIS on 3/17/10. Topics include the memorandum of agreement (MOA) with DOJ, employee hotline, and civil rights and civil liberties videos.

Read More About USCIS Issues Fact Sheet on DHS E-Verify Initiatives...

back to top

Sheriff Launches Immigration Sweep

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in Arizona has launched a two-day, countywide crime and immigration sweep that authorities say will focus on drop houses, drug violators and human smuggling vehicles.

Read More About Sheriff Launches Immigration Sweep...

back to top

Obama Backs Plan To Legalize Illegal Aliens

President Obama gave a thumbs up Thursday to the outline of a plan to legalize illegal immigrants and create a flow of low-skilled foreign workers for the future, saying the immigration bill being worked on by a Republican and a Democrat is "promising."

Read More About Obama Backs Plan To Legalize Illegal Aliens...

back to top

White House Won't Rule Out Immigration Reform Not Put to Yea or Nay Vo

The White House declined on Thursday to rule out that President Barack Obama might sign future legislation, such as an immigration reform measure, that has not been put to a recorded yea-or-nay vote in both houses of Congress.

Read More About White House Won't Rule Out Immigration Reform Not Put to Yea or Nay Vo...

back to top

DHS Announces New E-Verify Initiatives

DHS and USCIS announced three new E-Verify initiatives including an agreement with DOJ to streamline the adjudication process in misuse and discrimination cases, a helpline for employees to offer process information and assistance in completing Form I-9 and training videos.

Read More About DHS Announces New E-Verify Initiatives...

back to top

New Immigrants Avoiding Big Cities

US immigrant populations are spreading out, a study released Monday found.  New immigrants and their US-born descendants are expected to grow by 117 million by 2050, making up 82 percent of the US population growth over that period, and will “have important implications for housing demand at a time when aging baby boomers are expected to retire and leave the housing market,” the study predicts.

Read More About New Immigrants Avoiding Big Cities...

back to top

Anxious Time for Liberians in U.S.

Rhode Island lawmakers expressed optimism Wednesday that Liberians in the state will win another year’s extension of their immigration status before it expires at the end of this month.

Read More About Anxious Time for Liberians in U.S....

back to top

USCIS to Accept H-1B Petitions for FY 2011 Beginning April 1, 2010

USCIS announced that it will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the fiscal year (FY) 2011 cap on April 1, 2010. The fiscal year cap (numerical limitation on H-1B petitions) for FY 2011 is 65,000.

Read More About USCIS to Accept H-1B Petitions for FY 2011 Beginning April 1, 2010...

back to top

Immigration Status Inquiry During Traffic Stop

1st Circuit Court of Appeals found officer entitled to qualified immunity for any possible constitutional violations that he may have committed in asking the van's passengers questions about their immigration status and in contacting ICE. (Estrada v. State of Rhode Island, 2/4/10).

Read More About Immigration Status Inquiry During Traffic Stop...

back to top

H-1B Compliance Review Report

The H-1B Compliance Review Report includes instructions to assist Site Inspectors (SIs) performing administrative visits. The document communicates the type of information that USCIS is seeking when SIs are performing site visits.

Read More About H-1B Compliance Review Report...

back to top

ID Card for Workers Is at Center of Immigration Plan

Lawmakers working to craft a new comprehensive immigration bill have settled on a way to prevent employers from hiring illegal immigrants: a national biometric identification card all American workers would eventually be required to obtain.

Read More About ID Card for Workers Is at Center of Immigration Plan...

back to top

Driver Nearing Troopers on Highway Charged with DUI

In the distance, perhaps a half mile to a mile up ahead, the lights of a state police cruiser were visible in the highway breakdown lane as Lt. Wilfred K. Hill spotted a car weaving in and out of that same breakdown lane as he drove toward his colleagues early Friday morning.

Read More About Driver Nearing Troopers on Highway Charged with DUI...

back to top

Obama Looking to Give New Life to Immigration Reform

Despite steep odds, the White House has discussed prospects for reviving a major overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, a commitment that President Obama has postponed once already.

Read More About Obama Looking to Give New Life to Immigration Reform...

back to top

ICE Serves 180 Audit Notices to Businesses in 5 States

ICE announced issuance of Notices of Inspection (NOIs) to 180 businesses in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee. The notices alert business owners that ICE will inspect their records to determine if they are complying with employment verification laws.

Read More About ICE Serves 180 Audit Notices to Businesses in 5 States...

back to top

Homeschooling: German Family Gets Political Asylum in U.S.

The Romeikes are not your typical asylum seekers. They did not come to the U.S. to flee war or despotism in their native land. No, these music teachers left Germany because they didn't like what their children were learning in public school - and because homeschooling is illegal there.

Read More About Homeschooling: German Family Gets Political Asylum in U.S....

back to top

Study: E-Verify Failure Rate Over 50%

A federal database used by Rhode Island state contractors to weed out illegal workers misses over half the people it is supposed to catch, according to a new study.

Read More About Study: E-Verify Failure Rate Over 50%...

back to top

Central Falls Councilwoman Pleads No Contest To DUI

A Central Falls councilwoman appeared in District Court this morning and pleaded no contest to a drunken driving charge stemming from her arrest last summer in Lincoln.

Read More About Central Falls Councilwoman Pleads No Contest To DUI...

back to top

DOL Final Rule On Temporary Agricultural Employment of H-2A Aliens In

The Department of Labor (the Department or DOL) is amending its regulations governing the certification of temporary employment of nonimmigrant workers in temporary or seasonal agricultural employment and the enforcement of the contractual obligations applicable to employers of such nonimmigrant workers. The Department is also amending the regulations at 29 CFR part 501 to provide for enhanced enforcement under the H-2A program requirements so that workers are appropriately protected when employers fail to meet their obligations under the H-2A program.

Read More About DOL Final Rule On Temporary Agricultural Employment of H-2A Aliens In...

back to top

ILLINOIS WOMAN TOLD SHE IS NO LONGER AN AMERICAN

For years she, and the U.S. government, thought the Bulgarian-born 34-year-old was an American Citizen. But, when she went to renew her passport in 2003, the State Department reportedly told her something terribly different.

Read More About ILLINOIS WOMAN TOLD SHE IS NO LONGER AN AMERICAN...

back to top

Richmond Woman Faces Drunken Driving Charges After Route 95 Crash

A Rhode Island woman faces drunken driving charges after a pickup truck she was driving crashed on Route 95 over the weekend, seriously injuring her passenger.

Read More About Richmond Woman Faces Drunken Driving Charges After Route 95 Crash...

back to top

Police Get Warrant To Test Driver's Blood In Fatal Crash

The driver of an SUV that crashed into two Brown University students, killing one and injuring another, is under arrest on felony drunken driving charges.  After the driver refused a test for alcohol, the police obtained a warrant to take blood samples to determine whether there was alcohol in his blood.

Read More About Police Get Warrant To Test Driver's Blood In Fatal Crash...

back to top

Gillette Detainees Speak Out For Reform

Several people detained by immigration officials while on their way to Gillette Stadium to shovel snow spoke out at an emotional rally in Providence Thursday.

Read More About Gillette Detainees Speak Out For Reform...

back to top

DOS Annual Report of Immigrant Visa Applicants

The DOS offers an Annual Report of immigrant visa applicants in both the family and employment based preference categories. The document reports the number of cases that were registered by the National Visa Center as of 11/1/09.

Read More About DOS Annual Report of Immigrant Visa Applicants...

back to top

Secretary Napolitano Announces Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Request

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano unveiled the Department’s $56.3 billion fiscal year 2011 budget request today—prioritizing efforts to enhance security measures that protect against terrorism and other threats and reflecting the Department’s commitment to fiscal discipline and efficiency.

Read More About Secretary Napolitano Announces Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Request...

back to top

How Did Dozens Of Illegal Immigrants Shovel Snow At Gillette Stadium?

Four days before the New England Patriots’ playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens, 60 Guatemalan day workers headed in a caravan from Providence toward Gillette Stadium, prepared to shovel out the world-class home of one of the most valuable football franchises in the country.

Read More About How Did Dozens Of Illegal Immigrants Shovel Snow At Gillette Stadium?...

back to top

North Kingstown Man Charged After Driving Car Onto Half-Frozen Pond

After watching another driver do it, Samuel T. Richter drove his father’s 1998 Volkswagen Jetta onto a half-frozen pond in Ryan Park. Around 2 a.m. Sunday, he drove down the Belleville Pond boat ramp. But when he tried to get back, the Jetta pitched forward, 143 yards from shore, and began to sink.

Read More About North Kingstown Man Charged After Driving Car Onto Half-Frozen Pond...

back to top

Housing Recovery Could Take a Decade, Economists Warn - January 27, 20

Even as the housing market shows signs of improvement, including in new data released Tuesday, economists warn that it could take up to a decade for many homeowners to regain equity in their homes, while some people in the hardest-hit regions of the country may not see a recovery during their lifetime.

Read More About Housing Recovery Could Take a Decade, Economists Warn - January 27, 20...

back to top

State Police: Ex-Lawyer Took Clients’ Money

Disbarred lawyer Robert D. Natal has been arrested by the police and charged with 11 felony counts for misappropriating $1,136,013 from real-estate transactions.

Read More About State Police: Ex-Lawyer Took Clients’ Money...

back to top

•DHS Designates New Countries for H-2A and H-2B Nonimmigrant Visa

On 1/18/10, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano designated 11 new countries as eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B nonimmigrant visa programs.

Read More About •DHS Designates New Countries for H-2A and H-2B Nonimmigrant Visa...

back to top

Home Sales Tank: What it Means for You

Existing home sales plunged in December, falling nearly 17 percent from November in their largest month-over-month drop since record-keeping began. Meanwhile, December's inventory represented a 7.2-month supply of unsold homes, notably higher than the 6.5-month supply recorded in November, the National Association of Realtors reported Monday. Although the monthly decline was larger than expected, the figures are much less jarring when compared with December 2008. Existing home sales remain 15 percent higher than a year earlier, while raw unsold inventory fell 11 percent from December 2008 to its lowest level since March 2006.

Read More About Home Sales Tank: What it Means for You...

back to top

Home Prices Rise For 6th Straight Month

Home prices rose for the sixth straight month in November, fueled by tax credits for homebuyers.  Rising prices are important to the economic recovery because they make homeowners feel wealthier and lead them to spend more money.

Read More About Home Prices Rise For 6th Straight Month...

back to top

December Home Sales Down Nearly 17 %

Sales of previously occupied homes took the largest monthly drop in more than 40 years last month, plunging far deeper than expected after lawmakers gave buyers extended time to use a tax credit.

Read More About December Home Sales Down Nearly 17 %...

back to top

U.S. Says to Send Home Illegal Haitian Immigrants

Haitian citizens who arrive in the United States illegally after the Jan. 12 earthquake will be sent home, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said on Friday.

Read More About U.S. Says to Send Home Illegal Haitian Immigrants...

back to top

ICE Assists in Haiti Relief Effort

On 1/18/10, ICE announced that it had deployed a team of agents to partner with CBP and USCIS to streamline departures for U.S. citizens who may be in Haiti. ICE will assist DOS and USCIS in facilitating the evacuation of orphaned children granted humanitarian parole to temporarily enter the U.S.

Read More About ICE Assists in Haiti Relief Effort...

back to top

Man Will Face Drunken Driving Charges In Hit-Run Crash

A Barrington man will face charges in a deadly drunk driving hit-and-run in Bristol in April of last year. Matthew Sullivan, 23, allegedly ran down 28-year-old Joseph Hunt of Warren who was walking in the breakdown lane on Hope Street near Meadow Lane. Police say the SUV’s license plate fell off, providing police with his identification.

Read More About Man Will Face Drunken Driving Charges In Hit-Run Crash...

back to top

Attorney General Candidate Vows To Get Tough On Drunken Driving

A Smithfield Democrat who wants to be the state’s next attorney general unveiled a “four-point” plan Monday that calls for the state to take a tougher stance against drunken drivers.

Read More About Attorney General Candidate Vows To Get Tough On Drunken Driving...

back to top

Immigration Agents Stop Vans Taking Workers to Gillette Stadium

Sixty people stopped by immigration authorities in Foxboro early Wednesday morning had driven from Rhode Island to clear snow at Gillette Stadium, according to several of the workers who were detained and released.

Read More About Immigration Agents Stop Vans Taking Workers to Gillette Stadium...

back to top

USCIS Vacination Requirements

USCIS issued a list of questions and answers to provide basic information about the general vaccination requirements for immigrants (including individuals seeking adjustment of status), and specifically about the assessment made by the civil surgeon to determine whether an applicant meets the vaccination requirements.

Read More About USCIS Vacination Requirements...

back to top

Prosecutor Admits Refusing Breath Test

A federal prosecutor admitted at the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal on Monday that he refused to submit to a chemical breath test when the Warwick police arrested him Thanksgiving morning under suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Read More About Prosecutor Admits Refusing Breath Test...

back to top

DOJ and ICE Reach $4.5 Million Agreement with Pilgrim's Pride

On 12/30/09, ICE announced that the U. S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Texas, Pilgrim's Pride Corporation, and ICE have reached a non-prosecution agreement to resolve an investigation with respect to the hiring and employment of unauthorized aliens at Pilgrim's Pride's plants in the Eastern District of Texas.

Read More About DOJ and ICE Reach $4.5 Million Agreement with Pilgrim's Pride...

back to top

USCIS Fiscal Year 2008 Report on Characteristics of Specialty Occupation Workers (H-1B)

USCIS issued a report on Characteristics of Specialty Occupation Workers (H-1B) from October 2007 to September 2008. The report contains information on the countries of origin, occupations, educational levels, and compensation of aliens issued H-1B visas during FY 2008.

Read More About USCIS Fiscal Year 2008 Report on Characteristics of Specialty Occupation Workers (H-1B)...

back to top

Drunken Driving Accidents, Arrests Plentiful In Rhode Island

It is called the “Drunk Driving Death Clock.” You can watch it move on the Web; stare at its black face and wait for the yellow digital number to grow by one every 40 minutes — the way you might stare passing a three-car pile-up.  9,898 … 10,902 … 11,667…  The number is a symbolic inventory of lives lost each year in the United States from drunken driving.

Read More About Drunken Driving Accidents, Arrests Plentiful In Rhode Island...

back to top

Assistant U.S. Attorney in R.I. Charged with Refusing a Breath Test

A veteran federal prosecutor was charged early Thanksgiving morning with refusing to take a chemical breath test after two drivers told the police a man at the wheel of a small BMW appeared “out of it,” was “driving all over the road” and had hit curbs on Airport Road.

Read More About Assistant U.S. Attorney in R.I. Charged with Refusing a Breath Test...

back to top

CBP Press Release on FY 09 Data

CBP announced that it had encountered more than 224,000 inadmissible aliens at ports of entry and apprehended more than 556,000 individuals between the land ports of entry in fiscal year 2009.

Read More About CBP Press Release on FY 09 Data...

back to top

R.I. Officers Can Now Compel Blood-Alcohol Sampling

The state has a new law that allows the police to compel motorists who are suspected of drinking and are involved in crashes resulting in death or serious bodily injury to undergo blood-alcohol testing.

Read More About R.I. Officers Can Now Compel Blood-Alcohol Sampling...

back to top

Police & MADD Kick Off Program To Curb Holiday Drunken Driving

Police officials from around the state on Monday joined representatives from Mothers Against Drunk Driving in urging people to tie a red MADD ribbon on their cars –– a campaign to remind people not to drink and drive over the holiday weekend.

Read More About Police & MADD Kick Off Program To Curb Holiday Drunken Driving...

back to top

Police Arrest Driver After House Crash

An East Providence man is in police custody after a chase that made its way through four communities early Monday.   John Darosa, 20, of 40 Wannissett Ave. in Riverside, is charged with eluding the police, driving with a suspended license and refusing a chemical breath test.

Read More About Police Arrest Driver After House Crash...

back to top

October Home Sales Rise 10.1 % From September

The National Association of Realtors said Monday that home resales rose 10.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.1 million in October, from a downwardly revised pace of 5.54 million in September.

Read More About October Home Sales Rise 10.1 % From September...

back to top

ICE Announces 1,000 New Workplace Audits

ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton announced the issuance of Notices of Inspection (NOIs) to 1,000 employers associated with critical infrastructure, alerting business owners that ICE will audit their hiring records to determine compliance with employment eligibility verification laws.

Read More About ICE Announces 1,000 New Workplace Audits...

back to top

ICE Form I-9 Inspection Overview and Civil Fine Guidance

ICE released guidance on Form I-9 inspections and civil fines. The guidance outlines the process of an I-9 inspection and provides five factors that ICE considers during the course of the inspection and when determining a recommended fine.

Read More About ICE Form I-9 Inspection Overview and Civil Fine Guidance...

back to top

DHS Launches Campaign to Recognize Employers Using E-Verify

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton, USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas announced the new "I E-Verify" campaign to recognize the approximately 170,000 businesses that use E-Verify, DHS' online system to verify employment eligibility of new hires.

Read More About DHS Launches Campaign to Recognize Employers Using E-Verify...

back to top

2 R.I. Businesses Being Audited By ICE

Two Rhode Island businesses are among a thousand nationwide — and 32 in New England — whose hiring records will be audited by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to determine whether they are complying with employment eligibility verification laws and to ensure they are not “cultivating illegal workplaces.”

Read More About 2 R.I. Businesses Being Audited By ICE...

back to top

4 R.I. Troopers Receive ICE Training

Four Rhode Island state troopers will be deputized with immigration powers by early 2010, nearly two years after Governor Carcieri sought the state-federal partnership, and during the waning months of his administration.

Read More About 4 R.I. Troopers Receive ICE Training...

back to top

Sen. Kerry’s Daughter Alexandra Arrested On Suspicion of DUI

Sen. John Kerry’s daughter, Alexandra Forbes Kerry, was arrested in Los Angeles Thursday on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Read More About Sen. Kerry’s Daughter Alexandra Arrested On Suspicion of DUI...

back to top

Advance Copy of DHS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Establishment of Global Entry Program

DHS CBP issued an advance copy of a notice of proposed rulemaking on establishment of the Global Entry Program as a permanent voluntary regulatory program. The program would allow CBP to expedite clearance of pre-approved, low-risk air travelers into the United States.

Read More About Advance Copy of DHS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Establishment of Global Entry Program...

back to top

DHS News Release on Record Foreign Student Attendance

DHS issued a news release on record foreign student attendance reported in the Institute of International Education 2009 Open Doors Report. At more than 670,000 foreign students choosing the U.S., the latest surge marks a growth rate not seen since 1980 and continues a pattern of growth over the past three years.

Read More About DHS News Release on Record Foreign Student Attendance...

back to top

Housing Slump May Worsen Next Year, Not Get Better

If you already took advantage of the government's tax credit for first-time homebuyers-or are planning to do it anytime soon-you'll probably agree with this prediction: Sales of existing homes will peak in the final quarter of 2009, then begin a year-long slide, which is likely to be a sharp one, according to some estimates.

Read More About Housing Slump May Worsen Next Year, Not Get Better...

back to top

United States Citizenship & Immigration Service Updates Fiscal Year 2010 H-1B and H-2B Count

USCIS updated its count of FY 2010 cap-subject H-1B petitions and advanced degree cap-exempt petitions, as well as FY 2010 H-2B petitions received as of 11/06/2009.

Read More About United States Citizenship & Immigration Service Updates Fiscal Year 2010 H-1B and H-2B Count...

back to top

Grand Jury Indicts Motorcyclist For DUI, Death Resulting

NEWPORT, R.I. -- The Newport County Grand Jury on Friday indicted Joseph Beirola, 48, of 43 Pocasset Ave., Tiverton, on a charge of driving while under the influence of alcohol and driving to endanger, death resulting. Beirola lost control of his motorcycle on Route 24 on the Main Road off-ramp in Tiverton on June 13, according to the Tiverton police. His passenger, Janet C. Valcourt, 53, of 191 Lawton St., Fall River, was fatally injured. The defendant is to be arraigned in Newport County Superior Court on Thursday.

Read More About Grand Jury Indicts Motorcyclist For DUI, Death Resulting...

back to top

Remarks By Department of Homeland Security on Immigration Reform

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano spoke at the Center for American Progress about the broad need for immigration reform. She remarked that to secure the nation by enforcing the law and managing legal flows across the border as effectively as possible, DHS needs immigration reform.

Read More About Remarks By Department of Homeland Security on Immigration Reform...

back to top

ICED OUT: How Immigration Enforcement Has Interfered with Workers' Rights Report

AFL-CIO, American Rights at Work and the National Employment Law Project issued a report titled ICED OUT: How Immigration Enforcement Has Interfered with Workers' Rights.

Read More About ICED OUT: How Immigration Enforcement Has Interfered with Workers' Rights Report...

back to top

Doctor Allegedly Faked Exams For Immigrants

A doctor is accused of giving medical clearance to immigrants applying for U.S. visas by allegedly falsifying the results of medical exams and lab tests.

Read More About Doctor Allegedly Faked Exams For Immigrants...

back to top

Driver Faces DUI Charges After Hitting House

Police have released more details about a car crash that ended inside a Cranston home.  The driver was taken into custody and charged with driving under the influence and refusing to take a chemical breath test.

Read More About Driver Faces DUI Charges After Hitting House...

back to top

Without Notice Expungements Almost Expanded

Amid the chaos of last week’s special legislative session, advocates of a bill that would automatically erase a whole new class of criminal records scored a short-lived victory at the State House.

Read More About Without Notice Expungements Almost Expanded...

back to top

Tiverton Man Busted For Bomb Threat Against Boss

A Tiverton man’s alleged threat to place a pipe bomb at his employer’s place of business if he got laid off drew quick action last Tuesday afternoon from 30 to 40 law enforcement officers from over half a dozen local, state, and federal agencies.

Read More About Tiverton Man Busted For Bomb Threat Against Boss...

back to top

Proposed Law Would Require Pay For Sick Workers

U.S. employers who tell workers to stay home when they are sick will have to give them paid time off for up to five days under new federal legislation proposed on Tuesday.  The emergency law would cover pandemic H1N1 flu or any other infectious disease, said California Representative George Miller, a Democrat who chairs the House Education and Labor Committee and who introduced the bill.

Read More About Proposed Law Would Require Pay For Sick Workers...

back to top

ICE Launches Campaign to Raise Public Awareness of Trafficking Victims

ICE launched a Public Service Announcement campaign to draw public attention to the plight of human-trafficking victims in the US that includes those who are sexually exploited or forced to work against their will.

Read More About ICE Launches Campaign to Raise Public Awareness of Trafficking Victims...

back to top

HHS Final Rule to Remove HIV Travel Ban

Through this final rule, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is amending its regulations to remove ``Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection' from the definition of communicable disease of public health significance and remove references to ``HIV' from the scope of examinations for aliens.

Read More About HHS Final Rule to Remove HIV Travel Ban...

back to top

Church Leaders Urging Welcome of Immigrants

Hoping to set a new tone in the debate on immigration, some of the state’s religious leaders are reminding the faithful of the biblical command to “welcome the stranger” in their midst.

Read More About Church Leaders Urging Welcome of Immigrants...

back to top

Pending Home Sales Rise For 8th Straight Month

Pending home sales rose for the eighth straight month in September as new home buyers rushed to take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit before it expires at the end of the month, according to an industry group. The National Association of Realtors said Monday that pending home sales rose 6.1 percent to 110.1 from 103.8 in August. It was the largest annual increase on record and marked the longest streak of gains since the measurement began in 2001. It was also the highest level in nearly three years.

Read More About Pending Home Sales Rise For 8th Straight Month...

back to top

RI Lawmakers Adopt Indoor Prostitution Ban

Rhode Island would close a legal loophole allowing prostitutes to ply their trade indoors under legislation that state lawmakers approved Thursday and is headed to Gov. Don Carcieri, who is expected to sign it.

Read More About RI Lawmakers Adopt Indoor Prostitution Ban...

back to top

USCIS Issues Public Charge Fact Sheet

USCIS issued a fact sheet for non-citizens about public charge determinations. An individual who is likely at any time to become a "public charge" is inadmissible to the U.S. and ineligible to become a legal permanent resident. Some non-citizens and their families are eligible for public benefits without being found to be a public charge.

Read More About USCIS Issues Public Charge Fact Sheet...

back to top

DHS Estimates of the Legal Permanent Resident Population in 2008

This report presents estimates of the legal permanent resident (LPR) population living in the United States on January 1, 2008.

Read More About DHS Estimates of the Legal Permanent Resident Population in 2008...

back to top

USCIS Public Naturalization Information Sessions

On 10/27/09 USCIS updated its list of public naturalization information sessions. The list of upcoming sessions is available on the USCIS website.

Read More About USCIS Public Naturalization Information Sessions...

back to top

Realtor Data Shows Home Sales Continued to Climb in September

Warwick, RI, October 27, 2009…According to data released by the Rhode Island Association of Realtors today, Rhode Island existing single family home sales rose 27.9 percent in September and the number of days a single family home stayed on the market dropped to 87 from a high of 109 earlier this year.  Sales activity appears to be spurred by the $8000 tax credit from the federal government available to eligible buyers.  The number of single family homes available for sale has dropped steadily since June, falling more than 20 percent from September 2008 to September 2009.  There is currently a 6.8 month supply of single family homes for sale.  A six- month supply of inventory indicates parity between buyers and sellers and thus, a balanced market.  Inventory has decreased from a 14-month supply in January.

Read More About Realtor Data Shows Home Sales Continued to Climb in September...

back to top

Senate Close to Deal Replacing Homebuyer Tax Credit

U.S. Senate leaders moved closer to an agreement replacing an expiring $8,000 tax credit for first- time homebuyers with a smaller one that would expand access to so-called step-up purchasers, two people familiar with the matter said.  The deal would reduce the size of the tax credit to 10 percent of the sale’s price, capped at $7,290, the people said. The credit would be available on home purchases that are under contract by April 30, and borrowers would have 60 days more to close the sale.

Read More About Senate Close to Deal Replacing Homebuyer Tax Credit...

back to top

Customs and Border Patrol Creates Electronic Reading Room to Increase Public Access to Documents

Customs and Border Patrol launched an upgraded Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room designed to increase public access to agency records and documents. The site will feature records and documents formerly only available through FOIA request.

Read More About Customs and Border Patrol Creates Electronic Reading Room to Increase Public Access to Documents...

back to top

Person Detained by ICE Passes Away at Boston Hospital

On 10/19/09, Pedro Juan Tavarez, a 49-year-old national of the Dominican Republic being held on immigration violations, passed away at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA.

Read More About Person Detained by ICE Passes Away at Boston Hospital...

back to top

Death of Man in ICE Custody Leaves Questions

PROVIDENCE –– Family members of Pedro Juan Tavarez, a 49-year-old former Providence taxi driver, say they want authorities to investigate Tavarez’s sudden death Monday at a Boston hospital while he was in immigration custody. Authorities say Tavarez was taken to Brigham & Women’s Hospital with suspected pneumonia, but no cause of death has been released.

Read More About Death of Man in ICE Custody Leaves Questions...

back to top

ICE ANNOUNCES STANDARDIZED AGREEMENTS WITH 67 STATE AND

WASHINGTON—Assistant Secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) John Morton today announced standardized Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs) with 67 state and local law enforcement agencies to participate in 287(g) partnerships—improving public safety by prioritizing criminal aliens who are a threat to local communities, ensuring consistent and uniform policies and providing a force multiplier for ICE’s immigration enforcement efforts across the country.

Read More About ICE ANNOUNCES STANDARDIZED AGREEMENTS WITH 67 STATE AND...

back to top

RI Rep. Accused of DUI Pleads No Contest

A Rhode Island legislator has pleaded no contest to driving under the influence of alcohol. Rep. Raymond Sullivan, a Coventry Democrat who managed Barack Obama's presidential campaign in the state, entered the plea Thursday midway through his trial in Kent County District Court.

Read More About RI Rep. Accused of DUI Pleads No Contest...

back to top

Man Faces Felony DUI After Two Arrests In A Week

A 27-year-old Bristol man is behind bars after being arrested twice for drunk driving and getting into a separate car accident in less than a week. All three incidents occurred within close proximity of his home off Broadcommon Road.

Read More About Man Faces Felony DUI After Two Arrests In A Week...

back to top

SECRETARY NAPOLITANO AND ICE ASSISTANT SECRETARY MORTON ANNOUNCE NEW IMMIGRATION DETENTION REFORM INITIATIVES

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Secretary John Morton today announced new initiatives as part of the Department’s ongoing immigration detention reform efforts—enhancing the security and efficiency of ICE’s nationwide detention system while prioritizing the health and safety of detainees.

Read More About SECRETARY NAPOLITANO AND ICE ASSISTANT SECRETARY MORTON ANNOUNCE NEW IMMIGRATION DETENTION REFORM INITIATIVES...

back to top

Department of Homeland Security Rescission of Safe-Harbor Procedures for Employers Who Receive a No-Match Letter

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is amending its regulations by rescinding the amendments relating to procedures that employers may take to acquire a safe harbor from receipt of No-Match letters.  After further review, DHS has determined to focus its enforcement efforts relating to the employment of aliens not authorized to work in the United States on increased compliance through improved verification, including participation in E- Verify, ICE Mutual Agreement Between Government and Employers (IMAGE), and other programs.

Read More About Department of Homeland Security Rescission of Safe-Harbor Procedures for Employers Who Receive a No-Match Letter...

back to top

USCIS Naturalization Test to Become Fully Implemented; All Citizenship Applicants to take the New Test Beginning Oct. 1

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is reminding the public that beginning Oct. 1, all citizenship applicants must take the new naturalization test, regardless of when they filed their Application for Naturalization

Read More About USCIS Naturalization Test to Become Fully Implemented; All Citizenship Applicants to take the New Test Beginning Oct. 1...

back to top

Department of State Notice of Registration for the Diversity Immigrant (DV-2011) Visa Program

Department of State issues notice on how to apply for the Diversity Immigrant (DV-2011) Visa Program. Entries for the DV-2011 Diversity Visa lottery must be submitted electronically between noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), Friday, October 2, 2009, and noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST), Monday, November 30, 2009.

Read More About Department of State Notice of Registration for the Diversity Immigrant (DV-2011) Visa Program...

back to top

Immigration & Customs Enforcement Report on Immigration Detention: Overview and Recommendations

On October 6, 2009, ICE released a report authored by Dr. Dora Schriro, former Director of the Office of Detention Policy and Planning, providing an overview and recommendations for Immigration Detention.

Read More About Immigration & Customs Enforcement Report on Immigration Detention: Overview and Recommendations...

back to top

O'Hare Airport Temporary Staffing Employees Sentenced for Harboring Undocumented Aliens

The owner of a Bensenville temporary employment agency and her assistant were sentenced in federal court Wednesday for harboring illegal aliens and assisting those workers in obtaining unauthorized access to secure areas at O'Hare International Airport, including the tarmac. The sentences resulted from a multi-agency federal investigation conducted in 2007 and led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Read More About O'Hare Airport Temporary Staffing Employees Sentenced for Harboring Undocumented Aliens...

back to top

Senator Questions Fraud In The H-1B Program

One year after an internal assessment showed extensive fraud and abuse in the H-1B visa program, Senator Chuck Grassley today is asking U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to hold employers accountable by requesting evidence from petitioners that H-1B visa holders actually have a job waiting for them in the United States.

Read More About Senator Questions Fraud In The H-1B Program...

back to top

Attorney General Issues 30 More Subpoenas in Expanding Immigration Fraud Investigation

Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that - as part of his office’s expanding investigation into immigration fraud - he is issuing more than thirty additional subpoenas to organizations and individuals accused of engaging in fraudulent immigration business practices. The organizations and individuals allegedly pose as legitimate immigration service providers and provide legal services that they are not authorized to perform. The subpoenas issued today demand documents and testimony from the organizations and individuals within thirty days.

Read More About Attorney General Issues 30 More Subpoenas in Expanding Immigration Fraud Investigation...

back to top

Department Of Justice Awards Education Campaign Grants to Fight Immigration-Related Employment Discrimination

On 9/28/09 the Justice Department announced that it has awarded $723,000 in grants to twelve groups serving communities throughout the country, to conduct public education programs for workers and employers about federal protections against immigration-related job discrimination.

Read More About Department Of Justice Awards Education Campaign Grants to Fight Immigration-Related Employment Discrimination...

back to top

2011 Diversity Visa Lottery Program Registration

The Department of State announces the opening of the registration period for the DV-2011 Diversity Visa lottery. Entries for the DV-2011 Diversity Visa lottery must be submitted electronically between noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), Friday, October 2, 2009, and noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-5), Monday, November 30, 2009. Applicants may access the electronic Diversity Visa entry form (E-DV) at www.dvlottery.state.gov during the registration period. Paper entries will not be accepted. Applicants are strongly encouraged not to wait until the last week of the registration period to enter. Heavy demand may result in website delays. No entries will be accepted after noon EST on November 30, 2009.

Read More About 2011 Diversity Visa Lottery Program Registration...

back to top

House Passes Stopgap Bill; Four Immigration-Related Programs Extended

On 09/25/09, the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution that would fund continued federal government operations through October 31, 2009. Included in the legislation are provisions that would extend the E-Verify, Religious Worker, Conrad 30 and EB-5 programs. The continuing resolution, which was passed as part of the FY10 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill (H.R. 2918), is now headed to the Senate where it is expected to be considered on Tuesday, September 29.

Read More About House Passes Stopgap Bill; Four Immigration-Related Programs Extended...

back to top

I-751 Filing and Adjudicating Procedures for Parties Separated but Not Yet Divorced

Until recently, USCIS held that separated, but not yet divorced, conditional residents were ineligible to file I-751 waivers. Ineligible conditional residents in this situation are at risk of being placed in removal proceedings.  The recently issued Neufeld Memorandum, I-751 Filed Prior to Termination of Marriage provides a bit of a reprieve.  It permits filing either a joint petition or a waiver post separation but prior to divorce.

Read More About I-751 Filing and Adjudicating Procedures for Parties Separated but Not Yet Divorced...

back to top

72 Year Old Woman Sentenced To Nearly 4 Years For Leading A Visa Fraud Scheme

DALLAS - A 72-year-old grandmother who operated a marriage fraud ring for decades was sentenced Sept. 23 to serve 44 months in federal prison. The sentence was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. The case was investigated by the following agencies: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General, the Health and Human Services Commission's Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General.

Read More About 72 Year Old Woman Sentenced To Nearly 4 Years For Leading A Visa Fraud Scheme...

back to top

Maryland District Court Strikes Down The Widow Penalty

The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Southern Division, found that petitioners were eligible for classification as immediate relatives of their citizen spouses who died before the couples' second year of marriage where the citizens filed an I-130 prior to their deaths. Robledo v. Chertoff (S.D. MD 9/25/09). AILA Doc. No. 09092564.

Read More About Maryland District Court Strikes Down The Widow Penalty...

back to top

Florida District Court Strikes Down Widow Penalty

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Fort Pierce Division, found that despite a U.S. Citizen I-130 petitioner's death prior to adjudication on the merits, USCIS had no basis to revoke or terminate the petition for classification as an immediate relative. Maclean v. Napolitano (S.D. FL 09/24/09). AILA Doc. No. 09092565.

Read More About Florida District Court Strikes Down Widow Penalty...

back to top

Immigration Reform: Congress’s Perennial Pothole

At a gathering in Washington this week, long-time immigration reform advocate Congressman Luis Gutierrez announced that he would soon introduce a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the House. This marker bill is likely to have something for everyone in it, combining the DREAM Act, family reunification, a legalization program, and even smart-enforcement components. He gave the self-imposed deadline of October 13 for the framework to be ready and it couldn’t come sooner.

Read More About Immigration Reform: Congress’s Perennial Pothole...

back to top

Missouri Poultry Processing Plant Pays $450,000 Fine For Hiring Illegal Aliens

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - A southwest Missouri poultry-processing plant where 136 illegal alien workers were arrested in 2007 paid a $450,000 administrative fine Friday as a result of a worksite enforcement investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The settlement further directs George's to train its human resource managers and employees on how to avoid hiring illegal aliens, and to establish a compliance program to ensure that it's hiring and employment practices are in accordance with U.S. immigration laws.

Read More About Missouri Poultry Processing Plant Pays $450,000 Fine For Hiring Illegal Aliens...

back to top

Proxy Wedding Means U.S. Marine's Alien Widow And Baby Unwelcome

Hotaru Ferschke just wants to raise her 8-month-old son in his grandparents' Tennessee home, surrounded by photos and memories of the father he'll never meet: a Marine who died in combat a month after marrying her from thousands of miles away.  Sgt. Michael Ferschke was killed in Iraq in 2008, leaving his widow and infant son, both Japanese citizens, in immigration limbo: A 1950s legal standard meant to curb marriage fraud means U.S. authorities do not recognize the marriage, even though the military does.

Read More About Proxy Wedding Means U.S. Marine's Alien Widow And Baby Unwelcome...

back to top

E-Verify Federal Contractor Rule Effective 9/8/09

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is reminding federal contractors and subcontractors that effective today, they may be required to use the E-Verify system to verify their employees’ eligibility to work in the United States if their contract includes the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) E-Verify clause. In July, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano strengthened employment eligibility verification by announcing the Administration’s support for the regulation that will award federal contracts only to employers who use E-Verify to check employee work authorization.  The E-Verify federal contractor rule extends use of the E-Verify system to cover federal contractors and subcontractors, including those who receive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. Applicable federal contracts awarded and solicitations issued on or after today will include a clause committing government contractors to use E-Verify.

Read More About E-Verify Federal Contractor Rule Effective 9/8/09...

back to top

Vendors to the Federal Government Face E-Verify Mandate

On 8/25/09, a federal district judge for the District of Maryland denied the US Chamber of Commerce's challenge to an amendment to the Federal Appropriation Regulation--originally mandated by a Bush Executive Order and recently adopted by the Obama Administration. As a result, as of 9/8/09, the Federal Appropriation Regulations will require that participating vendors (and flow-down subcontractors) initiate E-Verify for active and new employees.  Because every employer in the country is required to have a Federal Form I-9 on file for each employee hired after November 6, 1986, that establishes work authorization, and because, by virtue of this decision, the Federal Government will mandate that each federal vendor sign-up for E-Verify, the impact of today's decision is immensely significant.

Read More About Vendors to the Federal Government Face E-Verify Mandate...

back to top

United States and Mexico Announce Agreements For Cross Border Public Security Administration

Washington/Mexico City—The Departments of Homeland Security and State announced today that senior officials on the United States-Mexico High-Level Consultative Commission on Telecommunications (HLCC) have signed a bilateral telecommunications agreement to support a new cross border communications network for public safety and law enforcement organizations focused on strengthening border security. The agreement establishes a bilateral working group through which the Department of Homeland Security of the United States and the Secretariat of Public Security (SSP) of Mexico will coordinate the installation and operation of the network. The new network will allow participating public safety organizations to coordinate incident response and cooperate on a broad array of law enforcement activities through the establishment of new cross border voice, data and video channels. The agreement also provides radio interference protection for the network’s infrastructure and a process under which the bilateral working group can establish interoperable communications for qualifying federal, state, local and tribal public safety and law enforcement organizations that are invited to participate in the network. The senior HLCC officials who signed the agreement were: Ambassador Philip L. Verveer, U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, U.S. Department of State; Ms. Gabriela Hernandez Cardoso, Mexico’s Under Secretary of Communications; and Under Secretary Jose Francisco Niembro Gonzalez, Mexico’s Under Secretary of Institutional Development and Evaluation in the SSP. Negotiation of the agreement stemmed from a recommendation by HLCC working level officials in May 2008 to formulate a long-term plan to advance critical cross border communications networks for improving border security and combating border violence. A copy of the agreement is available at: http://www.state.gov/e/eeb/rls/othr/telecom/128506.htm. ###

Read More About United States and Mexico Announce Agreements For Cross Border Public Security Administration...

back to top

Technical Changes and Corrections to H-2B Labor Certification Process

SUMMARY: This document contains a correction to the Final Rule of the H-2B program that was published on December 19, 2008. The Final Rule re-engineers the application filing and review process by centralizing processing and by enabling employers to conduct pre-filing recruitment of United States (U.S.) workers. In addition, the rule enhances the integrity of the H-2B program through the introduction of post- adjudication audits and procedures for penalizing employers who fail to meet program requirements. This rule also makes technical changes to both the H-1B and the permanent labor certification program regulations to reflect operational changes stemming from this regulation.

DATES: This technical correction is effective September 3, 2009. The technical correction is applicable beginning January 18, 2009.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the labor certification process governed by this correction, contact William L. Carlson, Administrator, Office of Foreign Labor Certification, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room C-4312, Washington, DC 20210. Telephone: (202) 693-3010 (this is not a toll-free number). Individuals with hearing or speech impairments may access the telephone via TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877- 8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

On December 19, 2008 the Department of Labor's (Department) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) published a Final Rule titled ``Labor Certification Process and Enforcement for Temporary Employment in Occupations Other Than Agriculture or Registered Nursing in the United States (H-2B Workers), and Other Technical Changes.' It has come to ETA's attention that due to a technical oversight a certain part of the final regulations was deleted from the Final Rule publication. The Department did not intend to remove this language from the regulations and through this correction notice the Department seeks to reinsert the inadvertently deleted language.

As published, the final regulation erroneously removed a paragraph of Sec. 655.731 that the Department had intended to remain. The intention of this Notice is to reestablish that paragraph.

Administrative practice and procedure, Foreign workers, Employment, Employment and training, Enforcement, Forest and forest products, Fraud, Health professions, Immigration, Labor, Longshore and harbor work, Migrant labor, Passports and visas, Penalties, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Unemployment, Wages, Working conditions.

Accordingly, 20 CFR Part 655 is amended by making the following technical correction:

PART 655--TEMPORARY EMPLOYMENT OF ALIENS IN THE UNITED STATES

Subpart H--Labor Condition Applications and Requirements for Employers Using Nonimmigrants on H-1B Visas in Specialty Occupations and as Fashion Models, and Labor Attestation Requirements for Employers Using Nonimmigrants on H-1B1 Visas in Specialty Occupations

1. The authority citation for part 655, Subpart H continues to read as follows:

8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b) and (b)(1), 1182(n) and (t), and 1184(g) and (j); sec. 303(a)(8), Public Law 102-232, 105 Stat. 1733, 1748 (8 U.S.C. 1101 note); sec. 412(e), Public Law 105-277, 112 Stat. 2681; and 8 CFR 214.2(h).

2. Amend Sec. 655.731 by adding paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(C) to read as follows:

Sec. 655.731 What is the first LCA requirement, regarding wages?

(a) * * *

(2) * * *

(ii) * * *

(C) Another legitimate source of wage information. The employer may rely on other legitimate sources of wage data to obtain the prevailing wage. The other legitimate source survey must meet all the criteria set forth in paragraph (b)(3)(iii)(C) of this section. The employer will be required to demonstrate the legitimacy of the wage in the event of an investigation.

* * * * *

Signed in Washington, DC, this 28th day of August 2009.
Jane Oates,
Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration.
[FR Doc. E9-21274 Filed 9-2-09; 8:45 am]

Read More About Technical Changes and Corrections to H-2B Labor Certification Process...

back to top

R.I. Advisory Panel On Immigrants Questions Carcieri’s Order

Governor Carcieri’s advisory panel monitoring his 2008 executive order on illegal immigrants met for the last time yesterday, with Carcieri reiterating that the issue “was a tough one, a complicated one,” but one that he had no regrets about tackling.  “What I’m trying to do in a measured, limited way, is to begin to deal with an issue that has an enormous impact on our state and our nation, and awaken our federal legislators that something’s gotta be done,” the governor said. “Some of you voiced the opinion, ‘Governor, you should stay out of this. It’s too complex and too sensitive an issue.’ I felt, and I still feel, this is an extraordinarily important issue for our state — an issue the governor needs to respond to.”

Read More About R.I. Advisory Panel On Immigrants Questions Carcieri’s Order...

back to top

RI State Police To Enforce Immigration Law

Rhode Island State Police detectives will function as federal agents with the power to arrest immigration violators under an agreement that's part of Gov. Don Carcieri's crackdown on illegal immigrants.  The deal with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, announced Wednesday, will allow the four detectives to become immigration officers. Once trained, the detectives can arrest illegal immigrants for immigration offenses so long as the targets are suspected of involvement in serious crimes, gangs, smuggling or trafficking. "The focus will be on those illegal aliens who are engaged in criminal activity," State Police Superintendent Brendan Doherty said in a written statement.

Read More About RI State Police To Enforce Immigration Law...

back to top

Toyota Developing Anti-Drunk Driving Gadget

Toyota Motor said Monday it was developing anti-drunk driving equipment that would lock the ignition of a vehicle if high levels of alcohol are detected in the driver.

The system features a hand-held breathalyser, equipped with a digital camera, that detects alcohol consumption and photographs the driver's face for identification, a company statement said.

If the driver tests positive, the system either warns him or her, or locks the vehicle's ignition depending on the level of alcohol detected, Toyota said.

The carmaker is conducting tests with affiliate truck maker Hino Motors, and will install the equipment in selected trucks and other vehicles of fleet customers that include companies and government organisations.

The device will alert fleet administrators if the driver is detected with excessive alcohol levels, Toyota said.

Nissan Motor is currently developing similar equipment. In the United States, certain states earlier this year passed legislation requiring drunk driving offenders to install breathalyser ignition locks in their cars.

Read More About Toyota Developing Anti-Drunk Driving Gadget...

back to top

Central Falls Councilwoman Pleads Not Guilty To DUI

A Central Falls city councilwoman pleaded not guilty Friday to a drunken driving charge.  Councilwoman Eunice Delahoz was arrested recently in Lincoln on drunken driving charges. According to the arresting officer, she tried to use her councilwoman status to get out of being arrested.

Read More About Central Falls Councilwoman Pleads Not Guilty To DUI...

back to top

Driver In Fatal Crash Faces DUI Homicide Charges

The driver of a sports car that crashed into a tree killing one passenger and injuring two others has been charged with motor vehicle homicide while drunk.

Bourne police told The Boston Globe that Jonathan Muir, 21, of Falmouth was charged with motor vehicle homicide while under the influence of alcohol, two counts of causing serious bodily injury while under the influence of alcohol, operating to endanger, and speeding.

Police said Muir was driving a 1984 Porsche 944 through Bourne in the early morning hours of June 29 when he apparently lost control of the car and hit a tree.

Cassandra Flynn-Rakos of Bourne was killed. Sonya Dangelo and Erica Pouler, both of Bourne, were hurt. All were 21.

Read More About Driver In Fatal Crash Faces DUI Homicide Charges...

back to top

Councilwoman arrested for DUI Cops: Son Asleep In Backseat When Car Stopped

LINCOLN, R.I. - Police arrested a Central Falls Councilwoman and charged her with DUI after an officer saw her driving a dark sedan erratically on Great Road in Lincoln. Eunice Dejesus Delahoz, 43, was stopped shortly after 11 p.m. June 26. Police said Delahoz had been swerving all over the road and at one point observed her nearly hitting another vehicle travelling in the opposite direction on Great Road near an intersection at River Road. Police said Delahoz told them she had three glasses of wine and was coming from a reunion. Police also said her teenage son was asleep in the back seat of the car she was driving.

Read More About Councilwoman arrested for DUI Cops: Son Asleep In Backseat When Car Stopped...

back to top

Man Killed And Two Injured In Block Island DUI Crash

A Block Island ferry employee has been charged with drunken driving in connection with a single-vehicle crash that left a coworker dead and two women injured.  Police say Craig Huntley of Narragansett was the driver of a truck that hit a stone wall and utility pole on Corn Neck Road at about 1 a.m. Tuesday.  The 56-year-old Huntley was ordered held on $20,000 bail at his arraignment Tuesday.  Police say 28-year-old rear-seat passenger Mitchell Paskins was ejected from the vehicle and died.  Chief Vincent Carlone tells The Providence Journal that Huntley refused a test for alcohol, but officers felt there was probable cause to charge him with driving under the influence. Carlone says the fatal accident was the first on the island since 2002.

Read More About Man Killed And Two Injured In Block Island DUI Crash...

back to top

Immigration Agency Says Backlog Virtually Gone

FBI name checks on people seeking to work or live in the United States or become citizens are getting completed more quickly, slicing through a backlog that had left some petitions pending for more than a year, immigration officials said Monday.  The FBI hired more workers, beefed up its training programs and upgraded its technology to handle the average of 6 million to 7 million applications that stream through the agency each year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials said. The delays came during the FBI's routine checks for possible criminal backgrounds and national security questions. But now, nearly all name check requests submitted to the FBI are being answered within 30 days. The remaining 2 percent are finished within 90 days, USCIS officials said.

Read More About Immigration Agency Says Backlog Virtually Gone...

back to top

Mom Accused Of Driving Drunk With Child In Car

TAUNTON, Mass. (AP) -- A Taunton woman has been charged with being drunk when she crashed her car into a tree with her 4-year-old daughter in the back.

Corina Collins was released on personal recognizance after her arraignment Wednesday on charges of operating under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and reckless endangerment of a child.

Police say the 32-year-old woman crashed into a tree on Monday. She told police she took a turn too wide.

The Taunton Daily Gazette reports that responding officers could smell alcohol on her breath so they conducted field sobriety tests, which she failed.

A Breathalyzer test showed that her blood alcohol level was .236, nearly three times the legal limit.

Neither mother nor child was seriously hurt.

Read More About Mom Accused Of Driving Drunk With Child In Car...

back to top

Democrats Face Crucial Immigration Test

After twice postponing a highly anticipated meeting between President Barack Obama and congressional leaders on immigration reform, the White House is under increasing pressure to get legislation done this year. Winning congressional approval of an immigration measure by December is a steep climb, with the economy, health care and energy higher on the president’s agenda. So far, Obama has promised only to begin the discussion at the summit set for next week.

Read More About Democrats Face Crucial Immigration Test...

back to top

Firms Protest Bill Barring Hiring Bias

The annual State House debate over the erasure of criminal records resumes this week with a new entry: a bill to ban employers from denying a job to someone because of their criminal history or make them state — in writing — what other reason they might have had for turning someone down.

Read More About Firms Protest Bill Barring Hiring Bias...

back to top

back to top

Supporters Urge Speedier Erasure of Criminal Records

Year after year, minority advocates, defense lawyers and the gun lobby promote bills to allow the expungement of multiple crimes or cut in half the current waiting time to wipe clean a criminal record, while the attorney general, the business community — and in years past, the state police and governor — warn against making it impossible for employers to do meaningful criminal background checks.

Read More About Supporters Urge Speedier Erasure of Criminal Records...

back to top

RI Senators Introduce Bills for Changes in DUI, Driving Laws

The Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings at the State House to discuss a number of bills that could establish new motor vehicle offenses.  Of the twelve bills under consideration, five are aimed specifically at strengthening penalties against drivers convicted of driving under the influence.   One bill would make it a felony to drive with a license suspended for either DUI or refusing to submit to a chemical test.  Another bill would allow police to obtain a search warrant to take blood, breath or urine samples for testing from drivers suspected of being under the influence.

Read More About RI Senators Introduce Bills for Changes in DUI, Driving Laws...

back to top

DUI Suspect, “Surrender your license!”

A Rhode Island state representative wants to see drivers who fail or refuse a Breathalyzer test have their licenses suspended immediately, before their case goes to trial.  A bill that died last year in the House Judiciary Committee would give bail commissioners the authority to immediately suspend the license of a driver who refused to take a breath test for alcohol. Currently, only judges of the District Court and Traffic Tribunal have that power.

Read More About DUI Suspect, “Surrender your license!”...

back to top

New Legislation Would Avail Search Warrants For DUI Stops

A new Rhode Island House bill — H5039 — would give police the opportunity to request a search warrant that would allow the taking of blood, breath or urine, or perform a chemical test in potential cases of driving under the influence.  If probable cause exists that the individual has been driving under the influence of intoxicating liquor or narcotics and the individual has refused to consent to a chemical test when asked by the officer, the police could petition for a search warrant under this legislation. The warrant would be available to law enforcement only in incidents that resulted in death or serious bodily injury.  Current state law forbids the use of a search warrant to obtain a bodily tissue sample, if an operator refused a chemical test voluntarily. Forty-four other states, however, allow for the search warrants.

Read More About New Legislation Would Avail Search Warrants For DUI Stops...

back to top

NTSB Says Rhode Island Doesn’t Meet Standards On Drunken Driving

Rhode Island could do a lot more to curb drunken driving, but instead it ranks among three states doing the least, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.  This week, the NTSB urged states that have been “unresponsive to previous NTSB safety recommendations” to make bolder moves in addressing drunken-driving accidents and deaths.  Rhode Island is among 25 states not doing enough to keep what the board calls “hard-core drinking drivers” off the roads, the NTSB said.

Read More About NTSB Says Rhode Island Doesn’t Meet Standards On Drunken Driving...

back to top

Drunken Driver Gets Jail Term For Warwick Crash

The woman who drove her car over the center lines, killing a Canadian man and badly injuring a Warwick woman in a 2005 accident, said yesterday she took full responsibility for her actions, just before she was ordered to serve 5 years of a 15-year sentence for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Read More About Drunken Driver Gets Jail Term For Warwick Crash...

back to top

Judge Uses Vulgar Language As She Is Charged

Repeatedly using vulgar and racial insults, Superior Court Judge E. Curtissa Cofield argued with a police officer — addressing him as "Negro trooper" at one point — who was trying to process her on a charge of drunken driving in Glastonbury last October, a police video released Monday shows.

Read More About Judge Uses Vulgar Language As She Is Charged...

back to top

Rhode Island Court Rules Appeal In Drunken-Driving Case Is Moot

The Rhode Island Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of a suspect facing a drunken-driving charge who contended that law-enforcement officials improperly obtained records from Westerly Hospital that have become part of the evidence against him.

Read More About Rhode Island Court Rules Appeal In Drunken-Driving Case Is Moot...

back to top

Immigration Panel: Order Created Fear

Rhode Island Governor Carcieri’s executive order on illegal immigration has created such fear throughout Rhode Island that a panel he appointed to monitor the order’s unintended consequences is recommending he make a “well-publicized clarifying statement” to explain what the order does and doesn’t do.

Read More About Immigration Panel: Order Created Fear...

back to top

High Court Stays Inmate’s Drunk Driving Release

In a case that has pitted a Superior Court judge against the Parole Board, the state Supreme Court yesterday delayed a Foster man’s release from prison for driving drunk in a deadly 2003 crash.

Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Procaccini on Tuesday reduced Ryan Salvadore’s sentence by one year, essentially freeing him that day. The judge said he had no choice given that the Parole Board had violated Salvadore’s rights when it decided to keep him jailed because, the board said, the judge’s original sentence was too light.

Read More About High Court Stays Inmate’s Drunk Driving Release...

back to top

Rhode Island Lawmaker Pursues Tougher DUI Rules

Stuck with a label as one of the worst states for drunken driving offenses, a Rhode Island state lawmaker wants to remove that distinction.  The National Transportation Safety Board has singled out the state of Rhode Island for its lack of success in curbing drunken driving.

Read More About Rhode Island Lawmaker Pursues Tougher DUI Rules...

back to top

RI Cops Arrest Man With .491 Blood Alcohol Level

State Police arrested a man early Tuesday whose blood alcohol level allegedly was .491, more than six times the legal limit, which they believe is the highest ever recorded in Rhode Island for someone who wasn't dead.
The man, 34, was arrested after he drove into a highway message board on Interstate 95 in Providence, Maj. Steven O'Donnell said.

Read More About RI Cops Arrest Man With .491 Blood Alcohol Level...

back to top

Rhode Island Court Ignores Green Card Status

The Rhode Island Workers’ Compensation Court does not check the immigration status of complainants, and no employee — including undocumented workers — should be afraid to pursue a claim, the court’s chief judge said at a community forum.

Read More About Rhode Island Court Ignores Green Card Status...

back to top

Cranston Man Is Arrested In Fatal Shooting Of Neighbor

The police arrested a Daisy Court man they suspect of shooting and killing his next-door neighbor yesterday afternoon.  Neighbors said the man who was shot had been hosting a birthday party for one of his children at the time.

Read More About Cranston Man Is Arrested In Fatal Shooting Of Neighbor...

back to top

Rhode Island House OKs Bill To Expunge/Destroy Criminal Records

Advocates for convicted criminals scored a victory on Smith Hill yesterday. Despite objections from the attorney general, the state police and the governor, the House voted 46 to 17 for a bill to quash and destroy the records of criminal cases in which the accused was given a deferred sentence, usually in exchange for sparing the state a trial by pleading no contest or guilty to a crime.

Read More About Rhode Island House OKs Bill To Expunge/Destroy Criminal Records...

back to top

Rhode Island State Police Won’t Conduct Dragnets On Immigrant Drivers

The Rhode Island State Police will not conduct dragnets to ask drivers about their immigration status, nor will they conduct “any out-of-the-ordinary raids or operations” in search of illegal immigrants as a result of Governor Carcieri’s recent executive order, according to a list of “frequently asked questions” the governor posted on his Web site yesterday.

Read More About Rhode Island State Police Won’t Conduct Dragnets On Immigrant Drivers...

back to top

Questions Halt Rhode Island House’s Vote On Expungment Bill

After a spirited debate in which lawmakers accused one another of trying to rewrite history by running a giant “eraser” through the state’s criminal record books, House leaders had second thoughts yesterday about putting a far-reaching “quash-and-destroy” bill to an immediate vote.

Read More About Questions Halt Rhode Island House’s Vote On Expungment Bill...

back to top

Court Rules Rhode Island Need Not Hear Cases On Asbestos

In a matter closely followed by national business groups, the state Supreme Court is ordering the dismissal of 39 asbestos cases that Canadian residents had filed in Rhode Island.  With the ruling, the Supreme Court said Rhode Island is joining 46 other states and the federal government in recognizing a doctrine that allows courts to decline to handle cases if — in the interest of “convenience, efficiency and justice” — they conclude the cases should proceed elsewhere.

Read More About Court Rules Rhode Island Need Not Hear Cases On Asbestos...

back to top

House Mulls Change In Criminal Sentencing Rules

Direct Action for Rights and Equality, a Providence civil-rights group, says the more troublesome part of mandatory minimums is that they prevent judges from using discretion in sentencing, effectively tying their hands. The court is not allowed to weigh personal circumstances, such as being a first-time offender.

Read More About House Mulls Change In Criminal Sentencing Rules...

back to top

Breathalyzer Challenge

A state prosecutor and a former House speaker last week debated whether new, harsher penalties apply to those who refuse to take Breathalyzer tests — or whether the penalties enacted in 2006 were wiped out when the governor signed a budget bill containing the law’s old language.  The arguments, which took place before the Rhode Island Supreme Court, prompted one justice to say, “The public should not know how sausages or laws are made.”

Read More About Breathalyzer Challenge...

back to top

Police On Alert For Young Drinkers

With prom season in full swing and high school commencements just around the corner, the police are giving notice that they are on high alert for underage drinking and are taking extra steps this year.

Read More About Police On Alert For Young Drinkers...

back to top

RI Senate Panel Considers E-Verify Bill

The bill would require any employer with three or more workers to use a pilot E-Verify program to determine whether the new hire is legally authorized to work in this country. The E-Verify program uses an online government database. An identical measure passed in the House by a 53-to-17 vote last week.

Read More About RI Senate Panel Considers E-Verify Bill...

back to top

Fatal Attraction: How Kids, Cars and Drinking Are Tearing Barrington Apart

Two police investigations have been opened in the aftermath of an article in the current issue of Rhode Island Monthly magazine that looks at teen drinking issues.

Read More About Fatal Attraction: How Kids, Cars and Drinking Are Tearing Barrington Apart...

back to top

Teen Tells Board Of Licenses Details Of Buying Beer That Resulted In A Conviction For DUI Death Resulting

Some of the beer was drunk that night by Michael J. Silveira, then 16, before Silveira wrecked his car on New Meadow Road in Barrington and killed one of his passengers, Jonathan C. Converse, 16, who had been Silveira’s best friend.  Silveira pleaded no contest to a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, death resulting, and he was sentenced to serve two years at the Rhode Island Training School.

Read More About Teen Tells Board Of Licenses Details Of Buying Beer That Resulted In A Conviction For DUI Death Resulting...

back to top

Expect Stalemate On Immigration Reform To Continue

A lot of Americans can't get their head around the concept of illegal immigrants demanding civil rights from a country whose laws they've broken. After all, these are people who have -- by virtue of not following the rules to get here, live here, work here -- chosen to live outside our system. And now they want to come inside, but only to ask for this and demand that, without admitting they did wrong or acknowledging their responsibility to make it right.

Read More About Expect Stalemate On Immigration Reform To Continue...

back to top

Woman Facing Drunk-Driving Charges Fails Drug Test

A Superior Court judge yesterday ordered the woman the police say was driving drunk last year when she hit a teenager changing a tire to surrender her license after her urine tested positive for amphetamines.  In addition, Judge Stephen P. Nugent demanded Heidi Harrall submit to a urine screening immediately after learning she had missed two tests in the last few weeks.

Read More About Woman Facing Drunk-Driving Charges Fails Drug Test...

back to top

Remarks On Immigrants Raise Concerns

A nonprofit group whose board members include First Lady Sue Carcieri asserts that nearly 45 percent of all immigrants in Rhode Island — legal and illegal — lack high school diplomas and “this low-skilled cohort of immigrants to Rhode Island costs state taxpayers about $212 million per year.”

Read More About Remarks On Immigrants Raise Concerns...

back to top

Grand Jury Indicts Drunk Driver In Death Crash

A 28-year-old local woman has been indicted on multiple felony charges after police said the car accident she caused last year in Middletown led to the death of a Florida woman. Rebecca Faulkner of 26 Stockton Drive, Middletown, was indicted Wednesday by a statewide grand jury on charges of leaving the scene of an accident, death resulting; drunken driving, death resulting; leaving the scene of an accident, personal injury resulting; and reckless driving, personal injury resulting charges.

Read More About Grand Jury Indicts Drunk Driver In Death Crash...

back to top

R.I. Employers Face Possible Mandate On E-Verify

Human-resources advocates support creating a federal electronic employment-verification system to curtail illegal immigration, so long as it’s accurate and reliable. But the human-resource association has a big problem with state legislation that would require employers to check the employment eligibility of newly hired workers through a national Web-based system called E-Verify.

Read More About R.I. Employers Face Possible Mandate On E-Verify...

back to top

Immigration Rally Has Fewer Voices

On a cool, sunny spring day, hundreds of supporters of immigrant rights turned out at a May Day rally yesterday to decry Governor Carcieri’s executive order that requires state police to check the status of people they suspect of being here illegally and report them to federal immigration authorities.  The estimated 300 people in attendance were but a fraction of the participation seen at immigration-rights rallies in years past.

Read More About Immigration Rally Has Fewer Voices...

back to top

Sandra Bullock Hit in A Massachusetts Drunk Driving Accident

The Lake House star, Sandra Bullock, was involved in a car accident in Gloucester, Massachusetts late Friday night. The Boston Herald reports that Bullock was with her husband Jesse James and Mark Hussey, who was driving, when a woman in a station wagon jumped lanes and hit the rented SUV Bullock was in.

Read More About Sandra Bullock Hit in A Massachusetts Drunk Driving Accident...

back to top

House OKs Bill Requiring Employers To Verify Citizenship of New Hires

The immigration question that has blanketed Rhode Island politics in recent weeks saw its first real debate last night, with House lawmakers approving a bill requiring private employers to electronically verify the citizenship of new hires.  For close to two hours, representatives sparred on the House floor, with some calling the proposal an important first step toward solving the state’s illegal immigration problem and others convinced it will ratchet up discrimination and hurt those here legally. The measure ultimately passed in a 53-to-17 vote and is now headed to the Senate.

Read More About House OKs Bill Requiring Employers To Verify Citizenship of New Hires...

back to top

Rhode Island House Panel OKs Bill That Would Erase Many R.I. Criminal Records

Over the strong objections of the attorney general and state police, a key House committee has approved a bill to forever remove thousands of crimes from the public record so convicted criminals can tell state licensing boards and prospective employers — with impunity — that they have never been convicted of a crime.

Read More About Rhode Island House Panel OKs Bill That Would Erase Many R.I. Criminal Records...

back to top

Clinton Aide Accepts Deal In DWI Case Fined $900, Had License Revoked For 10 Months

Sen. Hillary Clinton campaign adviser Sidney Blumenthal slipped into Nashua District Court to plead guilty and be sentenced last month, three weeks earlier than scheduled.  Blumenthal pleaded guilty March 28 to a standard, misdemeanor DWI charge. He was fined $900, and his driver's license revoked for 10 months. Blumenthal can seek to get his license restored after 120 days, however, if he completes and alcohol education program in Washington, D.C., court records show.

Read More About Clinton Aide Accepts Deal In DWI Case Fined $900, Had License Revoked For 10 Months...

back to top

$4.1 Million Awarded In Sex Assault

A federal jury deliberated 30 minutes Thursday, then awarded a woman more than $4.1 million in punitive damages after finding that her former employer acted with "malice, oppression or with reckless indifference" in failing to protect her from aggravated sexual assault by a state worker.

Read More About $4.1 Million Awarded In Sex Assault...

back to top

Immigration Lawyer Frank Flanagan Comments to the Providence Journal on H-2B Seasonal Workers

Employers in Newport and Block Island are scrambling from Florida to the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston, hoping to find seasonal workers before the annual influx of tourists arrives this summer.  “People are scared. They are desperate to find workers,” said Frank Flanagan, a Newport attorney who specializes in immigration.  One solution is to search for H-2B workers already in the country and see if they are willing to extend their visas. Flanagan said such workers can stay as long as three years if they can find sponsoring employers. So some area hotels are looking south, where the winter tourist season is coming to an end, to find workers willing to stay.

Read More About Immigration Lawyer Frank Flanagan Comments to the Providence Journal on H-2B Seasonal Workers...

back to top

Immigration Protesters Had Gig Down Cold

Political Scene was curious about why protesters this month stormed the governor’s first-floor policy office instead of the governor’s actual office, on the second floor, during a rally to oppose Carcieri’s executive order on immigration. Did they know the difference? Did they accidentally open the wrong door?  Political Scene has learned that the protesters were a lot more organized than some people gave them credit for.

Read More About Immigration Protesters Had Gig Down Cold...

back to top

Rhode Island Bill Would Require Verification Of New Hires’ Immigration Status

The plan would mandate all Rhode Island employers with three or more workers to confirm through a Web-based government database whether any new employee is authorized to work in the United States.  Businesses and organizations that refuse to participate in the program would face fines of up to $5,000 every 30 days depending on size.

Read More About Rhode Island Bill Would Require Verification Of New Hires’ Immigration Status...

back to top

Immigrants Aren't Cause of All Woes

No topic in recent memory has polarized Rhode Islanders as much as the debate over illegal immigration.  Of course, it doesn’t help when state officials ramp up the rhetoric to levels reminiscent of the Red Scare.

Read More About Immigrants Aren't Cause of All Woes...

back to top

Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee To Consider Touger DUI Laws

An Act Relating to Motor and Other Vehicles, Motor Vehicles Offenses, would increase the penalties for convictions for driving under the influence, resulting in death, and driving under the influence, resulting in serious bodily injury.  Those found guilty of the offense would be subject to up to two years imprisonment and license suspension of up to one year.

Read More About Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee To Consider Touger DUI Laws...

back to top

School Found Negligent In Booze Party Crash

A jury ruled the Archdiocese of Miami liable for $14 million in damages for the car wreck that left a high schooler dead and another paralyzed and brain damaged after a booze-laden year-end party at the home of two students in 2001.

Read More About School Found Negligent In Booze Party Crash...

back to top

Former Congressional candidate arrested on drunk driving charge

Former Rhode Island Congressional candidate Dave Rogers was arrested in Middletown on a drunken driving charge.The Republican Rogers is a former aide to Governor Don Carcieri and made unsuccessful bids in 2002 and 2004 for the Congressional seat held by Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy.

Read More About Former Congressional candidate arrested on drunk driving charge...

back to top

Woman Pleads Not Guilty To DUI Charges

A South Kingstown, Rhode Island woman pleaded not guilty Monday to drunken driving charges after being accused of hitting a teenager standing by the side of the road.
Police said 45-year-old Heidi Harrall was driving drunk and speeding when she lost control of her car along Route 1 in South Kingstown last June and hit 17-year-old Sylvia Bogusz. Bogusz was seriously injured.  Harrall was released on bail and ordered to undergo substance abuse treatment and counseling.

Read More About Woman Pleads Not Guilty To DUI Charges...

back to top

The Dog Did It: Woman Gets $300K Deal

A police dog put a pickup truck into gear, injuring a woman on her way to the mailbox in an incident that has ended with a $300,000 settlement.  Stone, who had a broken pelvis, had asked for $580,000 but settled with the city's insurer for $300,000.

Read More About The Dog Did It: Woman Gets $300K Deal...

back to top

Recent Study Proves Tort Reform Doesn't Work

A new study on tort reform by a business-backed institute "proves tort reform does not work," according to the association for the nation's trial lawyers.

American Association for Justice CEO Jon Haber, representing trial lawyers, said the state rankings recently released by Pacific Research Institute (PRI) show there is no correlation between tort reform and costs.

Read More About Recent Study Proves Tort Reform Doesn't Work...

back to top

Rhode Island Cracks Down On Illegal Immigrants

Governor Carcieri signed a six-point executive order he said will enable “a vast array of state government agencies” to address illegal immigration in Rhode Island.  He said he did so because the federal government has dropped the ball on immigration reform and left state taxpayers to pick up what he said are the considerable costs of illegal immigration.

The executive order includes six provisions:

•The Department of Administration will register and use a federal government program — E-Verify — to electronically verify that all executive branch employees are legally eligible to work in the United States.

•The department will require all companies doing business with the state to also use the E-Verify program to ensure their employees are legally authorized to work in the country.

•State agencies have the authority to notify persons whose identity was stolen or used improperly to receive benefits such as child care, health care or a driver’s license.

•Rhode Island State Police will establish a Memorandum of Agreement with the federal Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to receive training to assist ICE personnel in arresting illegal immigrants. The new partnership will allow state police with ICE training to access federal databases, process immigration prisoners and transport them to the federal Wyatt Detention Center.

•The state Department of Corrections will similarly develop a memorandum of agreement with ICE. In part, it will allow ACI personnel to investigate immigration status of prisoners and prepare necessary documentation for those found to be in the country illegally.

•The Parole Board and corrections department “will work cooperatively with ICE personnel” to provide for parole and deportation of criminal aliens.

Read More About Rhode Island Cracks Down On Illegal Immigrants...

back to top

Teen Impaired Driver Sentenced To Training School

A Barrington teenager was sentenced yesterday to six months in the state Training School for driving while impaired, fleeing authorities at Colt State Park and then slamming into a wall, pinning a pedestrian beneath his car.

The Dec. 29 crash marked the latest in a string of incidents involving Barrington teenagers, alcohol and either injury or death.

Read More About Teen Impaired Driver Sentenced To Training School...

back to top

Landlords Can Check Potential Renters' Credit

If a prospective tenant refuses to authorize the landlord to obtain a credit report, the landlord has the right to refuse to rent.

Read More About Landlords Can Check Potential Renters' Credit...

back to top

Attorney Peter Brent Regan convinces the Rhode Island Supreme Court and saves his client “hundreds of thousands of dollars”

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the large-slip holders because the provisions of the Rhode Island Condominium Act bind the marina association. The justices said that under the act, the original method of allocating assessment fees could not be changed without the agreement of 100 percent of the association members.

Read More About Attorney Peter Brent Regan convinces the Rhode Island Supreme Court and saves his client “hundreds of thousands of dollars”...

back to top

The ICE age is here

Rhode Islanders for Immigration law Enforcement," he had a right to call the Immigration Service, known as ICE, or make a citizens arrest whenever he came across someone whom he felt was breaking the law by residing here illegally

Read More About The ICE age is here...

back to top

Large Boat-Slip Marina Unit Owners Prevail in Dispute Over Assessement of Dockominium Fees.

The defendants appealed from the grant of summary judgment in favor of the plaintiffs, asserting that the Superior Court’s ruling as to the illegality of one of the provisions of the condominium declaration at issue was erroneous.  The defendants also contended that the hearing justice abused his discretion when he granted the plaintiffs’ motion for attorneys’ fees.  The Supreme Court first determined that the provision of the condominium declaration at issue violated the plain language of the Rhode Island Condominium Act, G.L. 1956 chapter 36.1 of title 24.  The Court stated that the clear language of the Condominium Act permits a differential method of assessing the expenses of a condominium association—but only to the extent required by a particular condominium declaration.  The Court determined that the condominium declaration of Newport On-Shore Marina, Inc. does not require a footage-based assessment of the costs of operating the marina, but instead, in violation of the Condominium Act, vests discretion in the board of directors in that regard.

The Court furthermore concluded that the Condominium Act authorized the hearing justice to award attorneys’ fees and that the hearing justice did not abuse his discretion in awarding attorneys’ fees to the plaintiffs in this case.  For these reasons, the Supreme Court denied the appeal and affirmed the judgment of the Superior Court.

Read More About Large Boat-Slip Marina Unit Owners Prevail in Dispute Over Assessement of Dockominium Fees....

back to top

Lawmaker Promises To Protect Immigrants

As another legislative session nears, so too does the promise of another debate over immigration.

Read More About Lawmaker Promises To Protect Immigrants...

back to top

Teenage drunk driver will serve two years at training school

Read More About Teenage drunk driver will serve two years at training school...

back to top

Glocester Man Hit By Drunk Driver

The police arrested and charged a Burrillville woman for driving under the influence and hitting a man shoveling snow with her car and fleeing the scene.

Read More About Glocester Man Hit By Drunk Driver...

back to top

$18.3 million wrongful death automobile accident settlement

Read More About $18.3 million wrongful death automobile accident settlement...

back to top

Hospital fined in wrong-site surgery

Read More About Hospital fined in wrong-site surgery...

back to top

Immigration Attorney Francis Flanagan Comments On The Department Of Homeland Security "No Match" Rule

Employers have received a reprieve from the federal “no match” rule that would have punished businesses for hiring illegal workers, but the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) served notice last week that it’s refusing to give up on the controversial measure.

Read More About Immigration Attorney Francis Flanagan Comments On The Department Of Homeland Security "No Match" Rule...

back to top

No Charges Filed in Bus Accident

Read More About No Charges Filed in Bus Accident...

back to top

Rhode Island to Step up Drunk Driving Enforcement for the Holidays

Read More About Rhode Island to Step up Drunk Driving Enforcement for the Holidays...

back to top

Judge Sends 3 Teens to Drug & Alcohol Program Following Fatal Crash

Rhode Island judge, Jeremiah S. Jeremiah, sent three teenagers to a 90 day drug and alcohol program following accusations that the teens consumed alcohol before a fatal car crash. If the teens complete the program, which invovles trips to hospital emergency rooms to see alcohol related crash victims, all charges will be dropped.

Read More About Judge Sends 3 Teens to Drug & Alcohol Program Following Fatal Crash...

back to top

Drunk Driver Sentenced to 10 Years in Fatal Crash

Read More About Drunk Driver Sentenced to 10 Years in Fatal Crash...

back to top

Quick Contact

Name *

Phone *

Email *

Tell us more *


Sayer Regan & Thayer LLP
130 Bellevue Avenue, Unit 2
Newport, RI 02840
Phone: (401) 849-3040
Fax: (401) 849-4330
Toll Free: (866) 378-5836
Get Directions

South County Office
343 Main St # C Wakefield, RI 02879
Phone: (401) 789-1616
Get Directions

Newport Life Magazine - Best of Newport County

FREE Books

The Rhode Island Survival Guide for DUI & Refusal Charges.The DUI Trap!
-The Rhode Island Survival Guide for DUI & Refusal Charges.

Clean That DUI Out of Your Closet!Clean That DUI Out of Your Closet!

The Seven Deadly Sins That Can Ruin Your Personal Injury ClaimThe Seven Deadly Sins That Can Ruin Your Personal Injury Claim

Blog Subscribe to this RSS Feed

Business & Commercial Law

view all

Immigration

view all

DUI & Breathalyzer Refusal

view all

Personal Injury

view all

Divorce & Family Law

view all

Real Estate & Property Law

view all

Human Resources & Employment Law

view all

General

view all

©2013 Sayer Regan & Thayer LLP, All Rights Reserved, Reproduced with Permission Privacy Policy
Built by Attorney Web Design Foster Web Marketing. Powered by Attorney Marketing DSS: Dynamic Self-Syndication.