Immigration And Naturalization Service News

The United States effectively treats foreign seafarers more harshly than any other group that enters the country without breaking the law. The general rule is that all persons who are not U.S. nationals or permanent residents must have a visa to enter the United States. Persons desiring to become U.S. citizens or permanent residents must obtain an immigrant visa. Most other persons desiring to enter the United States for a limited period of time must obtain a nonimmigrant visa. To obtain a nonimmigrant visa, one must have a valid passport and complete the Nonimmigrant Visa Application, Form DS-160 and submit it and a photograph (head shot) to the relevant U.S. embassy or consulate.

1832- The practice of utilizing "surplus" naval officers as officers of the Revenue Marine was discontinued. Revenue officer vacancies were henceforth filled by promotion from within the service. 1910-An Act of Congress (36 Stat. L., 534) abolished the Lighthouse Board and created the Bureau of Lighthouses to have complete charge of the Lighthouse Service. This law constituted the organic act under which the Lighthouse Service operated thereafter. 1942-Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Fleet ordered the organization of coastal pickets to combat submarine menace of Atlantic Coast. 1983- National Narcotics Border Interdiction System (NNBIS) began operations under the direction of Vice President George Bush and the executive board consisting of Secretaries of State…

Northrop Grumman received the 2003 Frost & Sullivan Technology Leadership Award for Homeland Security and Homeland Defense in recognition of its roles in the Integrated Deepwater System program, and in the Immigration and Naturalization Service's (INS) Technology Enterprise Automation Management Support (TEAMS) program. Northrop Grumman was cited by Frost & Sullivan, based on their role in the Deepwater program, on its deep understanding of vertical technologies required by maritime vessels involved in military missions as well as its broad integration skills supporting the U.S. Coast Guard's acquisition of three classes of new cutters and their associated small boats.

U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings announced today that he has secured a total of $29.5 million for port security efforts at the Port of Charleston as part of the fiscal year 2004 Omnibus Appropriations bill. The funding is directed to Charleston's Project Seahawk, the nation's first port security command and control center and a project Hollings helped create. The Omnibus spending measure, approved by the Senate Thursday, encompasses the 7 appropriations bills that have yet to be approved individually. The bill will now be sent to the president for his signature. "This Congress and this Administration have failed to provide the funding necessary to secure our ports, and I will not let their lack of foresight threaten security at our Port of Charleston," said Sen.

On February 3, 2004, the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security of the House Committee on the Judiciary conducted an Oversight Hearing on Law Enforcement Efforts within the Department of Homeland Security. Chairman Howard Coble (R-NC) stated that the purpose of the hearing was to examine how the transfer of law enforcement agencies to the new Department has affected the non-terrorism missions of those agencies. Mr. W. Ralph Basham, Director, U.S. Secret Service, testified about how the agency’s traditional missions have merged with the new anti-terrorism mission. Admiral Thomas H. Collins, Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, testified that the Coast Guard has always been a multi-mission organization and is adept at balancing competing priorities and creating synergies.

Seafarers Rights (CSR) called for the United States to eliminate crew visas. remaining crewmembers clearly demonstrates the need for the United States to review its shore leave policies. "A flawed crew visa policy resulted in the disciplining of the INS officer in the Norfolk case, while threatening to tighten already overly restricted shore leave controls -without enhancing national security," said Douglas B. Stevenson, Director of the Center for Seafarers' Rights said in a letter to the Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. "The condition of a vessel and the treatment of its crew provide a far better means of evaluating ship-jumping risks," continued Mr. is a former U.S. Coast Guard Commander.

The Seamen's Church Institute's Center for Seafarers Rights (CSR) today called for the United States to eliminate crew visas. The recent incident of four Pakistani seafarers jumping ship after receiving visa waivers and the subsequent denial of shore leave for the ship's remaining crewmembers clearly demonstrates the need for the United States to review its shore leave policies. "A flawed crew visa policy resulted in the disciplining of the INS officer in the Norfolk case, while threatening to tighten already overly restricted shore leave controls -without enhancing national security," said Douglas B. Stevenson, Director of the Center for Seafarers' Rights said in a letter to the Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Port security concerns are already resulting in crewmembers and caro being denied entry to U.S. ports. Even before Congress enacts a port security bill, Coast Guard and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) are using their current authority to turn vessels with suspicious cargo away from port and deny crewmember shore leave. At the same time, Coast Guard is continuing to press the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to adopt significant new port security requirements on an international basis. In a recent incident, the Coast Guard did not allow a French ship to offload container cargo that was mislabeled and considered to be dangerous to the port.

A combined effort led by the Coast Guard Investigative Service and Coast Guard Marine Safety Office Miami has resulted in the arrests of foreign mariners on ships visiting Miami for using fraudulent merchant mariner licenses and training certificates. One mariner was arrested yesterday for operating with a fictitious Columbian International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watch keeping for Seafarers (STCW) certificate. The individual was further determined to be an illegal alien and was turned over to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Another similar arrest occurred this morning and more are anticipated this afternoon. "Our primary concern is maintaining waterway safety.

President Bush has signed the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002. The measure provides for the hiring of additional Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) inspectors and investigative personnel. Of particular import to the maritime industry, it directs the Attorney General to develop machine-readable, tamper-resistant visas and other travel and entry documents that use biometric identifiers. Vessels entering or departing the United States must provide to the INS arrival and departure manifests containing information regarding each passenger, crew member, and other occupant on board. The requirement to provide the manifests is effective immediately. The manifests are to be provided in electronic format beginning not later than January 1, 2003.

The President has proposed creating a new Department of Homeland Security, the most significant transformation of the U.S. government in over a half-century by largely transforming and realigning the current confusing patchwork of government activities into a single department whose primary mission is to protect our homeland. The creation of a Department of Homeland Security is one more key step in the President's national strategy for homeland security. Immediately after last fall's attack, the President took decisive steps to protect America -- from hardening cockpits and stockpiling vaccines to tightening our borders. The President…

The Coast Guard Captain of the Port hosted a Model Port Boston meeting in which the project's partners signed a charter outlining its mission and goal. The model port project, officially named Boston - A Model Port, is one of several Operation Safe Commerce projects underway across the country. In Boston, the project represents a coalition of state, local and federal agencies, and private sector businesses united to enhance port and transportation security while facilitating commerce. The model port project gathers and provides information regarding current security and safety practices in supply chains and critical port activities; assists in collaborative efforts to develop and share best practices for the safe and secure movement of people…

The Coast Guard completed the transfer of 17 stowaways to Immigration and Naturalization Service officials about 5:30 a.m. yesterday at the Alabama State Docks, after crewmembers aboard the motor vessel Scan Germania, a 416-ft. British-flagged cargo vessel, discovered them Saturday, on its journey from Dominican Republic to Mobile, Ala. Coast Guard Cutter Bonito relieved CGC Decisive of escort duties at the Mobile sea buoy and arrived at the State Docks at approximately 1:30 a.m on Tuesday. Eighteen boarding team members from the Bonito, Station Dauphin Island, CGC Cobia, CGC Stingray and Group Mobile maintained security aboard the Scan Germania while the Bonito escorted the vessel into port.

Coast Guard Investigative Service, Coast Guard Marine Safety Office Miami and Immigration and Naturalization Service agents teamed up to crack two cases of merchant marine document fraud out of Miami July 3. The agencies served and executed search warrants at two locations on the Miami River, helping agents to collect evidence in support of an eight month CGIS investigation; resulting in a series of arrests. The documents seized during this operation included medical certifications, Standards for Training Certification and Watchstanders, employment letters that stated individuals were employees of maritime companies to help obtain U.S.

The Committee on Government Reform, chaired by Representative Dan Burton (R-IN), today voted to include the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the U.S. Secret Service as part of H.R. 5005, the Homeland Security Act of 2002. “The decision to retain all four of these entities is critical to the core mission and overall success of this new Department,” said Burton. The determination to keep these critical components intact comes on the heels of votes in other Committees today to remove all or portions of the Coast Guard, FEMA, INS, and the Secret Service from the President’s original proposal.

by Dennis L. When the federal government began examining United States vulnerabilities in the days following the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, it quickly became apparent that significant weakness existed on the U.S. maritime borders. Many, but not all, of these weaknesses were systemic and derived from both the U.S. open society and the procedures underlying modern maritime commerce. The goal quickly became to reduce the risk of maritime terrorism while not fundamentally altering the efficiencies of the commercial system. It was quickly realized that the threat to the maritime sector consisted of two distinct types: explosives and other contraband being shipped as cargo (particularly in a container) and the ship being used as a weapon…

The U.S. Department of Justice issued a press release stating that the first phase of the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) will be implemented by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) at selected ports of entry throughout the United States on September 11, 2002. After an initial 20-day period for testing and evaluation, NSEERS will be implemented at all U.S. ports of entry - including seaports - on October 1, 2002. be fingerprinted at the port of entry. in place for many years, but has not been enforced in decades. risk.

In the process of enhancing homeland and maritime security in the United States, the federal government is substantially increasing the burden on the owners, operators, managers, and agents of foreign ships. The heaviest burden, though, is being felt by the individual crewmember. For a short time after the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2002, Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) officials in some ports (particularly the Port of New York and New Jersey) would not allow non-U.S. crewmembers to land (come ashore) in the United States. This knee-jerk reaction gradually faded and INS processing of foreign crewmembers slowly returned to nearly the pre-9/11 situation. In March 2002, an incident in Chesapeake, Va. changed the unofficial INS policy.

BIMCO announced that it has arranged for meetings to take place this week with high ranking officials from the U.S. Customs Service, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), the State Department Visa Office, the U.S. Senate Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Sub-Committee, the U.S. House Coast Guard and Merchant Marine Sub-Committee, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Maritime Administration, and the Department of Transportation. a number of very important security issues currently under consideration in the U.S. which will have a direct impact on shipping and on trading with North America”. Everard continued, “Because BIMCO represents more than 65% of the world’s merchant fleet”…

Merchant Mariners? When the public's attention is preoccupied with the 9/11 anniversary and with sword rattling about a pre-emptive strike on Iraq, how do merchant mariners enter our consciousness? The simple answer is that they don't. To most Americans, merchant mariners are out of sight and out of mind, despite our absolute dependence upon them in peace and in war. More than ninety percent of everything that we consume in our peacetime global economy - from our morning coffee to the car that takes us home from work - has traveled on a ship. The vast majority of international trade with the United States is on foreign flag ships with foreign crews. Our military depends on both American and foreign merchant mariners to sustain their operations.

According to reports, commencing October 1, 2002, the program administered by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) that requires photographing and fingerprinting of nonimmigrant aliens will be expanded to include males between the ages of 16 and 45 from Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Pakistan. We have, as yet, been unable to confirm these reports. When the program of enhanced registration for certain foreign visitors commenced on September 11, it covered persons from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, and Libya. Crewmembers of foreign vessels making port calls in the United States are included in this program if they are nationals of the selected countries. Source: HK Law

The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) issued its report entitled Homeland Security: Information Technology Funding and Associated Management Issues

After a series of procedural maneuvers, the 107th Congress adopted the Maritime Transportation Security Act as one of its final bills prior to adjournment. President Bush signed measure into law on November 25, 2002 (Public Law 107-295). The new law represents the most significant expansion of maritime and port security authority since enactment of the so-called Magnuson Amendment in 1950. This Act contains a number of provisions authorizing the Coast Guard and other agencies to establish maritime security standards and mandate certain security enhancements to be undertaken by maritime industry. The Act requires facility and vessel vulnerability assessments to be done by the Coast Guard.