Diversity and Religious Visas Continue to Increase From Islamic Terror Sponsoring Nations

Atlas Shrugs ^ | 01/09/10 | Pamela Geller

[American Dream 246]

Atlas Exclusive:

I have been documenting the increase of outrageous and dangerous "diversity" and "religious" visas. Back in June 2009: DIVERSITY VISA NUMBERS: IMPORTING JIHAD IN THE TENS OF THOUSANDS and April 2009: "Diversity Visas" and "Religious Visas": Importing Jihad, I reported the advancement of this importation of jihad.

Below I show the employment, diversity, all types of immigrant visas for January 2010. Nigeria and Egypt (Gaza) among the largest ones.

Obama wasted no time in opening up the visa regulations when he took office last year, beginning with "religious visas." Before, whoever wanted to enter as a supposed 'missionary' needed to demonstrate his/her affiliation with a religious institution for at least two years. Obama changed it to almost no proof at all.

"Missionary" Christians come and go, and priests, pastors, nuns, ministers have used this visa, but their number is so low that it is insignificant. The Jews also use this type of visa, but it is the same as the Christians. The numbers are low, and, as with the Christians, generally those folks use a tourist visa.

It is predominately Muslims who use the "religious visa". And that number is quite high. Many countries such as Pakistan or territories such as Palestine use this type of visa, because it has been harder for them to get a regular visa (though that is no longer true for the Palestinians). But because most Muslims can't really provide or do not want to provide the information of a specific mosque they've attended or they've "preached" at, they complained -- and now DOS has granted their wish of waiving the 2-year proof requirement.

Bottom line, this yet another type of visa they are using, and this change helps them enormously.

Another type of visa that is dangerous and is an IV (Immigrant Visa), is what is called a "Diversity" visa -- a class of immigrants known as “diversity immigrants.” Diversity Visas (DV) each fiscal year are made available to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. The annual DV program makes visas available to persons meeting the simple eligibility requirements. A computer-generated, random lottery drawing chooses selectees for diversity visas. The visas are distributed among six geographic regions, with a greater number of visas going to regions with lower rates of immigration.

Just to give you an idea of the impact of these changes on regions rife with jihad, look at the numbers

And don't be fooled by Europe's number -- diversity means we are importing Europe's Pakistanis, Moroccans, Algerians, etc., and we know how well they have integrated into those societies.

New numbers show a dramatic increase. And remember Egypt includes Gaza and Ethiopia includes Somalis ...thats how they hide those numbers.

Egypt 12,300 . Ethiopia 12,475 . Nigeria 12,900 BOLD AND RED IS MY EMPHASIS

Here are the latest State department numbers ......... this program must END.

UNCLASSIFIED STATE 00127318

VZCZCXRO4234PP RUEHIKDE RUEHC #7318/01 3452223ZNR UUUUU ZZHP 112222Z DEC 09FM SECSTATE WASHDCTO ALL DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITYRUEHPNH/NVC PORTSMOUTH PRIORITY 2824BTUNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 127318VISAS, INFORM CONSULS ELECTRONICALLYE.O. 12958: N/ATAGS: CVISSUBJECT: IMMIGRANT VISA NUMBERS FOR JANUARY 2010Ref: Visa Services Bulletin no.16, Vol.IX, Dec. 11, 2009STATE 00127318 001.2 OF 0031. All charge-- Ability areas China- Except those mainland- Listed born India Mexico PhilippinesFamily prefsF1 01APR04 01APR04 01APR04 15AUG92 01DEC93FX 01JAN04 01JAN04 01JAN04 01JAN04 01JAN04F2A 01JAN06 01JAN06 01JAN06 U 01JAN06F2B 01DEC01 01DEC01 01DEC01 08JUN92 01JUL98F3 22MAY01 22MAY01 22MAY01 15SEP92 01DEC91F4 01OCT99 01OCT99 01OCT99 22NOV95 01MAY87For January, Family 2A (whether reported under theFamily 2A or LB symbol) with priority date earlier than01JAN04 have been allocated FX numbers. F2A numbershave been allocated for priority dates beginning with01JAN04 and earlier than 01JAN06, as long as F2A numbersare available for the country of chargeability (i.e.,all countries except Mexico). All charge-- Ability areas China- Except those mainland- Listed born India Mexico PhilippinesEmployment prefsE1 C C C C CE2 C 01MAY05 22JAN05 C CE3 01AUG02 01AUG02 22JUN01 01JUL02 01AUG02EW 01JUN01 01JUN01 01JUN01 01JUN01 01JUN01E4 C C C C C (E4 includes Special Immigrant classes SD through SL)SR C C C C CC5 C C C C CT5 C C C C CI5 C C C C CR5 C C C C C2. DIVERSITY (DV-2010) VISA NUMBERS: --------------------------------For January, immigrant numbers in the DV category areavailable to qualified DV-2010 applicants chargeable toall regions/eligible countries as listed below:Africa 23,400 Except: Egypt 12,300. Ethiopia 12,475. Nigeria 12,900Asia 9,475Europe 19,750North America 4 (Bahamas)Oceania 775South America, 925 Central America, and the CaribbeanPosts are reminded that entitlement to IV status forapplicants selected for the DV-2010 program expires asof September 30, 2010. DV visas may not be issued toDV-2010 applicants after that date. Similarly, spousesandchildren of accompanying or following to join DV-2010principals are only entitled to derivative DV statusuntil September 30, 2010.3. VISA AVAILABLILTIY IN THE COMING MONTHS: ---------------------------------------FAMILY-SPONSORED: Cut-off date movement in mostcategories continues to be greater than might ordinarilybe expected. Thistrend is anticipated to continue forat least the next few months because fewer applicantsare proceeding with final action on their cases atSTATE 00127318 002.2 OF 003consular posts abroad, and the volume of USCISadjustment cases remains low. Once large numbers ofcases are brought to final action, cut-off date movementwill necessarily slow or stop. Moreover, in somecategories, cut-off date retrogression is a possibility.Therefore, although it is not possible to say at presentwhen cut-off date movement will slow or possiblyretrogress, readers should be aware that the recent rateof cut-off date advances will not continue indefinitely.EMPLOYMENT-BASED: At this time, it is unlikely thatthere will be any cut-off dates in the Employment Firstpreferences. It also appears unlikely that it will benecessary to establish a cut-off date other than thosealready in effect for the Second preference category.Cut-off dates apply to the China and India Secondpreference categories due to heavy demand, and each hasthe potential to become "unavailable" should demandcause the annual limit for that category to be reached.INA Section 202(a)(5) provides that if total demand willbe insufficient to use all available numbers in aparticular employment preference category in a calendarquarter, then the unused numbers may be made availablewithout regard to the annual per-country limits. Forexample, if it is determined that based on the level ofdemand being received at that time there would beotherwise unused numbers in the Employment Secondpreference category, then numbers could be provided tooversubscribed countries without regard to per-countrylimitations. Should that occur, the same cut-off datewould be applied to each country, since numbers must beprovided strictly in priority date order regardless ofchargeability. In this instance, greater number use byone country would indicate a higher rate of demand byapplicants from that country with earlier prioritydates.Should Section 202(a)(5) be applied, the rate of numberuse in the Employment preference category would continueto be monitored to determine whether subsequentadjustments are needed in visa availability foroversubscribed countries. This action provides the bestpossible assurance that all available Employmentpreference numbers will be used, while still ensuringthat numbers remain available for applicants from allother countries that have not yet reached their per-country limit.Based on current indications of demand, the best casescenarios for cut-off dates which will be reached by theend of FY-2010 are as follows:Employment Second:China: July through October 2005India: February through early March 2005If Section 202(a)(5)were to apply: China and India: October through December 2005Employment Third:Worldwide: April through August 2005China: June through September 2003India: January through February 2002Mexico: January through June 2004Philippines: April through August 2005Please be advised that the above date ranges are onlyestimates which are subject to fluctuations in demandduring the coming months. The actual future cut-offdates cannot be guaranteed, and it is possible that someannual limits could be reached prior to the end of thefiscal year.4. QUALIFYING DATE INFORMATION: ---------------------------As posts are aware, the National Visa Center (NVC) isnow responsible for the dispatch of all InstructionPackages (Packet 3s). For posts' information, listedbelow are recent changes to qualifying dates. Thesedates supersede those included in State ALIMM 104413.WORLDWIDE F1: including: China-mainland born, and India) is advanced to: 22DEC04WORLDWIDE F2A: (including: China-mainland born, India, and Philippines) is advanced to: 15NOV06WORLDWIDE F2B: (including: China-mainland born, andIndia)STATE 00127318 003.2 OF 003 is advanced to: 08APR03WORLDWIDE F3 (including: China-mainland born, and India) is advanced to: 01JAN02WORLDWIDE F4: (including: China-mainland born, andIndia) is advanced to: 15FEB00MEXICO F2A: 01MAY04MEXICO F2B: 08JUL92MEXICO F4: 15SEP96PHILIPPINES F1: 01SEP94PHILIPPINES F2B: 22SEP00PHILIPPINES F3: 01OCT92PHILIPPINES F4: 22JUN88CLINTONBT#7318NNNNUNCLASSIFIED STATE 00127318 A year later, big media notices: Today FOX news finally got to the story here:

Thousands From Terror-Sponsoring Nations Entering U.S. on 'Diversity Visas'

The State Department is planning to welcome thousands of immigrants from terror-watch list countries into the United States this year through a "diversity visa" lottery -- a giant legal loophole some lawmakers say is a "serious national security threat" that has gone unchecked for years.

Ostensibly designed to increase ethnic diversity among immigrants, the program invites in thousands of poorly educated laborers with few job skills -- and that's only the beginning of its problems, according to lawmakers and government investigations.

"There are a lot of holes in this program in terms of security and in terms of fraud," said Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., who has written legislation aimed at killing the lottery.

Now, in the wake of the botched Christmas Day terror attack that emerged from Nigeria and Yemen, members of Congress are worried the system could be vulnerable to radicals looking to "play" the visa lottery as a means of reaching the U.S.

Here's how it works: to avoid getting stuck with 3.5 million others on a visa waiting list, hundreds of thousands of people put their names into the separate diversity lottery, which rewards countries that typically see low levels of immigration to the U.S. Immediate family are allowed to join lottery winners.

Countries like China, where lots of immigrants originate, are excluded.

Then a computer in Kentucky picks names at random from the qualified applicants, who need only a high school degree or two years at a job that requires two years of experience. The program accounts for about 10 percent of all immigrant visas each year.

Included in the lottery are all four countries the U.S considers state sponsors of terror -- Iran, Sudan, Cuba, and Syria -- and 13 of the 14 nations that are coming under special monitoring from the Transportation Security Administration as founts of terrorism. Pakistan is excluded because, like China, it sends over tens of thousands of immigrants each year and doesn't need to be in the lottery.

Among the winners for 2010 are:

Nigeria: 6,006 Iran: 2,773 Algeria: 1,957 Sudan: 1,084 Afghanistan: 345 Cuba: 298 Somalia: 229 Lebanon: 181 Libya: 152 Iraq: 142 Saudi Arabia: 104 Syria: 98 Yemen: 72

Though Umar Farouk Abdulmattallab, the 23-year-old Nigerian accused of trying to blow up an airliner on Christmas Day, used a tourist visa -- not a diversity visa -- to enter the country, Goodlatte said he worries that Al Qaeda members will game the system. He fears they will submit the names of young acolytes from Saudi Arabia or Yemen who have clean records and could gain entry to the U.S. to wreak havoc. More than 1,000 such visas have been granted to Yemenis in the past decade alone.

"You can take young people out of the madrassas that have no record of any activity with a terrorist organization but are loyal followers of Usama bin Laden," he said.

The State Department's Office of the Inspector General recommended in a 2003 report that terror-sponsoring nations be removed from the diversity visa program.

"OIG believes that this program contains significant vulnerabilities to national security as hostile intelligence officers, criminals and terrorists attempt to use it to enter the United States as permanent residents," the office's deputy inspector testified to Congress in 2004.

A separate report filed by the Government Accountability Office also faulted the program for being susceptible to widespread fraud. A cottage industry has emerged abroad to cater to the lottery, and it regularly bilks people out of massive amounts of money and even coerces some into marriage to keep their diversity visas.

But State Department officials told FoxNews.com that they have a powerful security protocol in place to protect the system -- a point underscored in their rebuttal to the GAO report.

"We do not see the DV (diversity visa) program as uniquely vulnerable," when it comes to state sponsors of terrorism, they said, because of careful vetting that includes "two types of biometric checks and name checks."

They acknowledged that fraud occurs in the lottery, with one official saying, "It is a sad reality that all visa categories encounter sham marriages, suspect identities, fraudulent documents, use of agents and unlikely stories" -- but they cited an "impressive array" of strategies they use to tackle fraud.

The program hasn't been without its cost: one beneficiary, whose wife received a diversity lottery visa, killed two people at Los Angeles International Airport in a 2002 shooting spree at the El Al ticket counter, an act the government labeled terrorism.

Still, the lottery has some staunch defenders, including Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, who is sponsoring an amendment that would double the number of diversity visas to 110,000 a year. Because of State Department enforcement and lack of interest, not all of the 55,000 visas offered each year are taken by winners of the lottery.

Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., argued that the program allows many immigrants to come and make lives for themselves in the U.S., including soccer phenom Freddy Adu, who formerly played for D.C. United.

"The Diversity Visa Program is the chance for many people of color around the world to immigrate to the United States and pursue the same American dream that many of the ancestors of the members [of Congress] here were able to pursue," Conyers said in congressional debate in 2007.

Yet the name of the game hasn't always been diversity, and some experts argue that the program itself is racist for using ethnic criteria for immigration.

Prominent Irish- and Italian-American lawmakers, including Sen. Ted Kennedy, crafted the law in 1988 as a way to confer legal status on immigrants from their countries of ancestry.

[Lorianne]

Midtown [Tucson] is city’s melting pot: 2,000 refugees settle there

Economic crisis is refugees’ challenge, too
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/related/114125

They come from around the globe, making a home in the heart of Tucson. In the past decade, about 2,000 newly arrived refugees have settled in midtown Tucson, looking to start a new life free from violence, persecution and poverty.

The melding of cultures is evident in the adults and children who stroll down East Grant Road, near Dodge Boulevard, and in the classrooms at Blenman Elementary, Doolen Middle and Catalina Magnet High schools.