The director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) offered no help at all yesterday regarding the influx of nonimmigrant workers vis-a-vis the current high levels of unemployment in the United States.

The setting was one of the quarterly sessions with "immigration stakeholders" held by Alejandro Mayorkas, the Obama Administration's USCIS director in Washington, D.C., on March 17.

Cuarto Poder (Chiapas) 3-17-10

 President Felipe Calderón says it is imperative to combat organized crime

 While announcing an Urban Renewal Program, Calderón vowed to continue providing material, intelligence and policy to combat criminal organizations.

Wednesday, 3/17/10

Correo (Leon, Guanajuato) 3/15/10

Mexican senators call on U.S. to share responsibility

Gustavo Madero and Carlos Navarrete are the leaders of the "PAN" & "PRD" party factions, respectively, in the Mexican Senate. They now call upon the United States to assume part of the responsibility for the death of three persons linked to the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez.

South of the Border

Tuesday, 3/16/10

Prensa Libre (Guatemala City, Guatemala), El Nuevo Diario (Managua, Nicaragua) 3/15/10

Catholic hierarchy of Central America pushes U.S. immigration reform

The Human Mobility Pastoral of the Guatemala Episcopal Conference [of the Catholic Church] yesterday called upon the United States Government to take into account the letter sent by the Catholic Bishops of Central America to President Barack Obama in September of 2009 in favor of millions of  immigrants from the area. The document points out the need to "open a serious and profound dialog concerning a just and integral immigration reform, one with a human character, to benefit more than 12 million persons without documents who live and work in the United States." The letter says that these persons have placed their hopes in the change that you have promised. They expect a new proposal from you to the Senate and to the Congress (sic) from you about their status.