IndiaPost.com - Homeland Security officials address community at Immigration Forum

India Post News Service

NEW JERSEY: Green card backlogs, employment for graduating foreign students and dependent spouses of H1 employees, and delays in issuing social security cards were some of the issues addressed at a first of its kind Forum on Immigration by officials of the Department of Homeland Security, in New Jersey recently.

The interactive forum was organized by Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula for the benefit of business owners in particular and immigrants in general, at the 1st Presbyterian Church on Oak Tree Road in Iselin, the heart of the Indian business center in New Jersey.

Department of Homeland Security's Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman Prakash Khatri, Bruce Friedman, a senior policy adviser with the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), and Ron Shelkey, program manager with US Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) specially came down from Washington DC for the purpose.

Talking on a subject of most concern to Indian Americans, Ombudsman Khatri said since taking up office, one of the key areas he focused on was to reduce the backlogs in the green cards and speed up the process, while ensuring that national security was not compromised.

"In most areas around the country, the processing is being done within 3-4 months. It is true there are a million or so applicants in line waiting to get their green cards, but those who are filing now are getting them faster," he told an audience comprised of local business owners and senior citizens. More than 100,000 Indians were granted green cards last year, Khatri pointed out stating that the community today surpassed all other immigrant communities in numbers. "In the last two years, Indian Americans have emerged as the largest immigrant group after Mexicans," Khatri said.

"What is more impressive is that we have the highest per capita incomes, more than everyone else, including local Americans." However, Khatri cautioned the community to understand that the key to surviving in this country is only all about money, but about getting into public service.

"After educating yourself and making money, the next big step is to be involved in local and national politics." In his travels across the country in the last couple of years, Khatri said the most common refrain he heard from Indian American employers was that they are not properly aware of the relevant.

While it was important for them to understand the laws and rules, Khatri said the community need not accept rules that don't work for them. "You have to abide by the law, but if it doesn't work for you, do not accept it lying down, go to your legislators and work with them to change it.

I encourage you to educate yourself and engage those of us in the administration and the lawmakers in a dialogue on what works best for you," he advised. Ron Shelkey, special agent for the Department of Homeland Security said "most employers commit errors due to sloppiness".

Giving a detailed presentation on how employers can avoid pitfalls and get it right the first time when employing people, Shelkey spoke about the common violations on worksite and how the I-9 forms work. He also gave an overview of the IMAGE program which his department has come up with to give employers guidelines on the required procedures so they don't go wrong when hiring people as also to institute best employment practices.

Freidman spoke about discrimination based on immigration status and how people can safeguard themselves against being discriminated upon based on cultures, customs, religious practices, besides immigration status. During the interactive session, responding to a question on providing employment opportunity for spouses of H1 workers and foreign students graduating from US colleges, Ombudsman Khatri said, "This is the time to go to your Congressmen and Senators and get them to introduce legislation to incorporate the provisions that work for you.

This is the most appropriate time since the Immigration Reform bill is being introduced in the Senate and the right time to approach lawmakers to incorporate changes." Responding to a specific issue raised by a New Jersey employer about the delay in issuing social security cards to new employees who come on H1 visas, Khatri said, "Social Security is a major issue we have been struggling with, and hope to solve it soon. Issuance of social security cards involves the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and the Social Security Service.

The problem arises because information cannot be shared between the different departments. The system needs to be fixed, we are aware of it." Although the event was attended by more senior citizens than employers, Assemblyman Chivukula said his aim had been to benefit the small businessmen in the surrounding Indian market primarily since a lot of questions had been raised in recent months following incidents of alleged racial discrimination. "Certain recent incidents have shown that we should be proactive rather than be reactive.

Towards that end, I felt such a forum was needed. This is the first outreach of the Homeland Security Department with the Indian American community, and I am working with senior citizens and other community groups to further educate them on various issues concerned."