Badmus

NAHREP Leaders Estimate that Legalized Immigrants Would Create 3 Million New Homeowners and Billions in New Mortgages, Commissions & Consumer Purchases Over Five Years

SAN DIEGO, CA  – If current legislation that creates a path to legalization for 11 million undocumented immigrants is passed, the nation’s Hispanic real estate leaders estimate that it would create a new pool of 3 million homeowners and pump more than $500 billion* in sales, income and spending into the U.S. housing economy. According to an info graphic released today by the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), the chain reaction triggered by home purchases would drive demand for more than $500 billion in real estate transactions and an additional $233 billion in origination fees, real estate commissions and consumer spending associated with homeownership. A copy of the info graphic is available at http://nahrep.org/immigration-reform.

Based on previous estimates from analysts, NAHREP officials calculate that as many as 6 million undocumented immigrants are likely to pursue legalization and possibly citizenship under the bill and up to 3 million would pursue homeownership based on the patterns of naturalized Latinos.

“Foreign-born householders have a high value and strong desire for homeownership,” said Juan Martinez, NAHREP president. “They have been here in our midst for years, working and participating in our economy. Legitimizing them through immigration reforms would finally give them the access and the confidence to buy homes.”

NAHREP, a nonprofit 501(c)6 trade association with 20,000 members, based its projections on updated data and the approach it used for its 2004 study “The Potential for Homeownership Among Undocumented Workers,” to estimate the economic impact on the current housing economy.

Assuming past purchase trends among foreign-born householders remain consistent, half or up to 3 million of the 6 million undocumented immigrants that are expected to pursue legalization, will also buy a home once they have legal status;

Categories: Blogroll,General,Immigration Litigation and Removal,Legislation and Policy |

Six DFW immigrant leaders and an immigrant service organization were recently honored at the  2013 Immigrant Journey Awards.  Hosted by Badmus Law Firm, the goal of the awards is to celebrate immigrants and immigrant service organizations who are trailblazers and exceptional role models in North Texas. The honorees were hosted at a luncheon at the La Cima Club in Irving, Texas.

Adil Adi, president and CEO of Worldlink, Inc. and Walter Chiang, founder and director of CP&Y, Inc. received the Immigrant Entrepreneur Award which recognizes immigrant business owners who have founded  highly successful businesses and who serve as models of inspiration.  Elizabeth Hernandez Sosa, corporate accountant with Borden Dairy Company, Hector Molina, project superintendent of KPost Company, and Florencia Velasco Fortner, president and CEO of the Concilio each won the Immigrant Professional Excellence Award, recognizing immigrants who have demonstrated significant professional achievements in their field and whose advancements in their field have positively impacted their profession or community.

The Immigrant Spirit Award was presented to Peter Burns, chair of the Mindbender Academy foundation.  The award recognizes an immigrant civil leader who has contributed substantially to the community.  The Hua Hsing Chinese School located in Plano received the Immigrant Advocate Award for its leadership and advocacy on behalf of immigrants.  The school was represented by its president, Agnes Mu.

“These awards celebrate those who have chosen to make this country their home and whose outstanding achievements serve as an inspiration to us all. Like our past honorees, this year’s recipients have achieved remarkable success and give back to the community as well, ”said the firm’s founder, Ann Massey Badmus.

Proceeds from the luncheon funded the American Dream Scholarship awarded  to three top DFW-area immigrant high school students. Scholarship recipients for 2013 were Sukjoon Choi of Irving, Jesus Jaimes of Dallas, and Vana Bahram of McKinney.  All are honor students at their respective schools.

Nominations for the 2014 Immigrant Journey Awards will open in September, 2013.  For more information, visit http://www.badmuslaw.com/immigrant-journey-awards.

http://youtu.be/tfvqRdKfWCo

Categories: Blogroll,Firm News,General |

“The Dream is Now is a new 30-minute documentary that’s being made in real time, as this debate is unfolding, by Academy Award-winning director, Davis Guggenheim (Waiting for ‘Superman’, An Inconvenient Truth). Dream gives voice to and puts a human face on the undocumented children of immigrants who are desperate to earn their citizenship and give back to the only country they’ve ever called “home.” The film also goes beyond the personal. It places these stories in a larger context and explores the consequences of continuing our current policies and maintaining the status quo – consequences not just for these young people today, but for our country’s future.” http://www.thedreamisnow.org/documentary

Categories: Blogroll,Immigration Litigation and Removal,Legislation and Policy |

On March 8, 2013, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a new Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. The form is available for immediate use by employers. Employers who need to make necessary updates to their business processes to allow for use of the new Form I-9 may continue to use other previously accepted revisions (Rev. 02/02/09)N and (Rev. 08/07/09)Y until May 7, 2013 date. After May 7, 2013, all employers must use the revised Form I-9 for each new employee hired in the United States.

Categories: Blogroll,Employer Compliance,Employment Immigration,General |

The Justice Department recently announced that it reached an agreement with Poulan Pecan, resolving allegations that the company violated the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Poulan Pecan is a supplier of pecans located in Poulan, Ga. 

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division initiated its investigation of Poulan Pecan in 2012, based on a claim by an individual who called a department hotline and complained that the pecan-producing company requested specific documentation from her to establish her work authorization. The department’s investigation concluded that Poulan Pecan discriminated against work-authorized non-U.S. citizens by requiring specific and more documents than necessary from them when completing the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, while not imposing similar requirements of U.S. citizens. 

Under the terms of the agreement, Poulan Pecan will pay $500 in civil penalties and be subject to monitoring of its employment eligibility verification practices for a period of one year. Designated Poulan Pecan officials have already completed training by the Justice Department on the anti-discrimination provision of the INA. The case settled prior to the Justice Department filing a complaint in this matter.

 “Individuals should be treated equally during the employment eligibility verification process,” said Gregory Friel, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “This means not placing additional requirements, documentary or otherwise, on individuals based on their citizenship status.”

Categories: Blogroll,Employer Compliance,Employment Immigration,General |

The Justice Department recently reached an agreement with Milestone Management Company, a nationwide residential property management firm headquartered in Dallas, resolving claims that the staffing company violated the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

In a charge filed with the department, a lawful permanent resident alleged that after working for Milestone for three years, the company improperly demanded that he produce an unexpired lawful permanent resident card, despite the fact that he had presented proper work authorization documentation at the time of hire. The company discharged the worker when he was unable to present the document. The department’s investigation revealed that Milestone had also improperly reverified the documentation of other lawful permanent residents when their documentation expired and that it did not reverify expired documentation of U.S. citizens. The anti-discrimination provision generally prohibits treating employees differently in the employment eligibility verification and reverification processes based on citizenship or national origin unless required by law.

In response to the Justice Department’s investigation, Milestone immediately reinstated the charging party and provided full backpay for his six weeks of lost wages. Milestone cooperated with the department’s requests for information regarding its employment authorization verification processes throughout the investigation, and took proactive steps in collaboration with the department to provide corrective training for Milestone employees before the investigation had been concluded.

Under the terms of the agreement, Milestone agreed to pay $20,000 in civil penalties to the United States, undergo Justice Department training on the anti-discrimination provision of the INA and be subject to monitoring of its employment eligibility verification practices for a period of three years. The case settled prior to the Justice Department filing a complaint in this matter.

“We commend Milestone’s full cooperation with the Department’s investigation of this matter, and its proactive efforts to ensure that all of its employees responsible for completing Form I-9 are fully aware of their obligations under the INA’s antidiscrimination provisions,” said Gregory B. Friel, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.

Categories: Blogroll,Employer Compliance,Employment Immigration,General |

Starting April 30, 2013, foreign travelers arriving in the U.S. by air or sea will no longer fill out paper I-94 arrival/departure forms upon arrival.  Rather, their arrival/departure information will be obtained automatically from the electronic travel records.  To prove their legal-visitor status to employers, schools/universities, or government agencies, travelers will be able to access their U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)  arrival/departure record information online when the agency starts its records automation on April 30, 2013.

CBP will phase-in the Form I-94 automation at air and sea ports of entry through April and May. Foreign visitors will continue to receive the paper Form I-94 until the automated process arrives at their port of entry. Following automation, if travelers need the information from their Form I-94 admission record to verify immigration status or employment authorization, the record number and other admission information will be available at CBP.gov/I94. ( CBP.gov/I94 )

With the new CBP process, a CBP officer will stamp the travel document of each arriving non-immigrant traveler. The admission stamp will show the date of admission, class of admission, and the date that the traveler is admitted until. Travelers will also receive on arrival a flier alerting them to go to CBP.gov/I94 for their admission record information. ( CBP.gov/I94 )

Travelers will not need to do anything differently upon exiting the U.S. Travelers previously issued a paper Form I-94 would surrender it to the commercial carrier or to CBP upon departure. If travelers did not receive a paper Form I-94, CBP will record the departure electronically via manifest information provided by the carrier or by CBP.

For more information and for answers to frequently asked questions, visit CBP’s Form I-94 webpages. ( I-94 Fact Sheet (pdf – 94 KB.) )

Categories: Blogroll,General |

Categories: Blogroll,General,Immigration Litigation and Removal,Legislation and Policy |

Categories: Blogroll,General,Legislation and Policy |

DiversityBusiness.com, the nation’s leading multicultural social media site, has recently acknowledged Badmus Law Firm as one of the Texas’ “Top 50 Emerging Businesses” for 2013. Badmus Law Firm ranked 18 on the list. This exclusive ranking is a reflection of Badmus Law Firm’s overall vision, leadership and economic accomplishments in moving our economy forward. The award represents the most unique class of forward thinking companies who have earned the distinction of fostering a culture of sustainable growth among the communities they serve.

2013 marks DiversityBusiness.com’s 13th annual listing of the nation’s top businesses. Over 1.3 million businesses participated in this year’s program. The “Top 50 Emerging Businesses” are determined by a selection committee which evaluates the eligibility for all submissions in each award categories. The selection committee bases their decision on an extensive set of criteria which includes: reviewing each entrant’s business profile, website and gross annual sales submitted. The businesses selected on these prestigious lists have become highly coveted among corporations, government agencies and educational institutions who desire to increase opportunities with privately-held businesses.

“We are very proud to continue to support men and women who have become the core of our nation’s innovation, productivity and growth”, says Kenton Clarke, President & CEO of DiversityBusiness.com. He goes on to add, “I am very optimistic about our future especially as this distinct group of entrepreneurs continue to produce immeasurable results and serve as a prime example for current and generations to come.”

“This honor is a tribute to our hard-working and experienced team of attorneys, paralegals, and support staff, who are dedicated to the success of our clients,” said Ann Massey Badmus, founder and attorney at Badmus Law Firm.

This List is a classification that represents the top privately-held businesses in the U.S., in sectors such as technology, manufacturing, food service and professional services. The List offers a comprehensive look at the strongest segment in the United States economy- America’s privately-held businesses. Large organizational buyers who do business with multicultural, small and women-owned businesses all use the list. The List has garnered over 20 million annual views since inception.
Honorees will be extended accolades at a special awards ceremony during DiversityBusiness.com’s “13th Annual National Business Awards Ceremony and Conference”, at Wynn Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 24- April 26, 2013. For more details about the awards ceremony and conference please visit
http://www.DiversityBusiness.com/Conference.

For the complete list of winning companies, please visit: www.diversitybusiness.com.

Categories: Blogroll,Firm News,General |