BORDER IMMIGRATION

by Andrew Reyes, Staff Writer/ Translator

Local crossing card to be replaced by "Laser Visa"

Juárez residents presently able to cross the border into the United States will continue to do so via a new passport called the "Laser Visa."

A representative of the Notimex Agency told Diario de Juárez, that the State Department and the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) initiated an information campaign to border communities making them aware of the new "Laser Visa." The visa will be replacing the present crossing cards known as "micas."

Officials told Diario, that a photo of the individual along with their fingerprint, will appear on the new visa making it difficult to falsify the document. Upon crossing, the magnetic strip will transmit the individual's photo and fingerprint to authorities to verify their identification. Those wishing to apply for the new visa must do so before September 1999. The State Department will request a passport, proof of residence, and proof of employment. Those with military identification cards must also obtain the visa. The INS will consider supplying the visa to those who have filled out the necessary documents to become U.S. residents. Visitors and tourists may apply for a six month temporary crossing card or for the actual "Laser Visa."

Dan Kane, a representative for the INS told Diario that in order to obtain a temporary permit, one must present a local passport or Form 13 in order to identify themselves, which can be found at the Servicio de Inmigración y Naturalización, the Mexican equivalent of the INS. Those wishing to cross temporarily before the 18th of March, must set up an appointment with the INS on Wednesdays.

The INS in El Paso will be visiting newspapers as well as radio and television stations, giving further directions to those in need of renewing their crossing cards. Due to the 1996 Immigration Reform Laws, the State Department will be in charge of implementing the new "Laser Visa" program. In order to replace the expired crossing cards, temporary offices will be opening along several areas of the border, with the permission of the Mexican government, to expedite the new program.

Source: The El Paso Times, Diario de Juárez

Grand Jury Meets for Second Time

On Thursday, Feb. 5,1998, according to Diario de Juárez, a Grand Jury met for the second time in an attempt to review all the evidence in the shooting of Mexican national Francisco Flores. Flores, 20, of Juárez, who was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent last month, after supposedly firing at agents near the Chamizal park.

The Grand Jury's decision on whether to charge the agent was postponed due to lack of time to analyze all the evidence and listen to the testimonies of all the witnesses involved. Despite the delay in the Grand Jury's decision, the FBI will be sending the investigation to the Human Rights Commission in Washington who will determine if Flores' civil rights were violated.

The grand jury cleared the agent of all responsibility February 16 and determined he acted in self defense in the January 13 shooting and killing of an undocumented immigrant from Juárez near the Chamizal National Park near the border in El Paso, Texas, according to Diario de Juárez.

Source: Diario de Juárez

New Food Assistance Program to Start in March

The Texas welfare-reform laws of 1996 led to state cutbacks in its immigrant assistance program, which left more than 4,700 older and disabled El Paso immigrants without the use of their food-stamp benefits, according to state representative Norma Chávez.

The members of the House Committee on Human Services met on February 6 to discuss the reorganization of the immigrant assistance program. El Paso, with 32,000 legal immigrants, has a tremendous stake in the eligibility debate - for many it is a matter of survival, Chávez told the El Paso Times.

"It's imperative that communities such as El Paso have the chance to present public testimony in order to assist the state," in improving policies toward immigrants, according to Chávez. The loss of food stamps has had a greater impact on many farm workers and their families, since the rate for picking chile and onions is the same as it was 15 to 20 years ago, Michael Wyatt, managing attorney of the El Paso office of Texas Rural Legal Aid, said.

The workers also face problems such as proving their eligibility status when employers and contractors fail to report the workers' wages to the Federal Government, according to Wyatt. Those who can prove they are eligible will benefit from the new 18 million dollar program designated by the state.

sources: Diario de Juárez, El Paso Times