jonty_11
06-29 04:41 PM
Is there a phone number we could call and ask about the Mid Month Retro..that AILA ihas announced.?
ANyone knows a DOs cnumbers where they actually answer calls...?
ANyone knows a DOs cnumbers where they actually answer calls...?
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dwhuser
10-14 06:26 PM
I didn't get an email but got an sms from USCIS about the case status change to Decision. Here's the update :)
Decision
On October 13, 2009, we mailed you a notice that we had registered this customer's new permanent resident status. Please follow any instructions on the notice. Your new permanent resident card should be mailed within 60 days following this registration or after you complete any ADIT processing referred to in the welcome notice, whichever is later. If you move before receiving your card, please call our customer service center at 1-800-375-5283.
Does that mean an 'Approval'. Between we moved to AZ from FL this week and I'm sending my AR-11 and changed the address over the phone. Is there anything else I need to do ?
Decision
On October 13, 2009, we mailed you a notice that we had registered this customer's new permanent resident status. Please follow any instructions on the notice. Your new permanent resident card should be mailed within 60 days following this registration or after you complete any ADIT processing referred to in the welcome notice, whichever is later. If you move before receiving your card, please call our customer service center at 1-800-375-5283.
Does that mean an 'Approval'. Between we moved to AZ from FL this week and I'm sending my AR-11 and changed the address over the phone. Is there anything else I need to do ?
485Mbe4001
08-21 01:05 AM
You can dissect it a million ways from here to sunday, the fact of the matter is that EB 3 as a whole and E3 I&C in particular are messed up big time. We cannot sit twiddling our thumbs while we wait, most EB3s have supported most of the action items. What is wrong in exploring different options. we are not obstructing anybodys efforts. Vertical allocation or horizontal allocation doesnt matter, what matters for most is that there should be consistency in actions. They keep changing the rules every couple of months. if we know the number of people stuck in each category per year/per country we can come to our own conclusions and decide if we want to stay or go. There are greener pastures everywhere. Every year our lawyer tells us that its a matter of 12-18 months and you keep waiting...the only reason is that...we have been waiting so long, lets wait a couple more and see. i know some will immediately give comments like, 'leave sooner, one less family in the queue'..or..'port to EB 2 you ##$@'...to them i say i hope you are fortunate enough to avoid getting trapped in a situation like us.
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485Mbe4001
05-17 04:08 PM
Thanks, i will send them and email.
No, It is not for 140 and i wasnt asked for it when i appliedway back in 2002.
I didn't experience getting a duplicate certificate, but I think you can try the following service to get such certificate.
http://yourmaninindia.com/cgi-bin/taskdisplay.cgi?catid=1&subid=4
No, It is not for 140 and i wasnt asked for it when i appliedway back in 2002.
I didn't experience getting a duplicate certificate, but I think you can try the following service to get such certificate.
http://yourmaninindia.com/cgi-bin/taskdisplay.cgi?catid=1&subid=4
more...
ItIsNotFunny
11-12 12:19 PM
Guys,
Now one of us has to take responsibility to gather evidence and forward to Ombudsman.
Now one of us has to take responsibility to gather evidence and forward to Ombudsman.
desi3933
06-18 11:55 AM
Since the threshold for outsourcing is quite a bit lower in a recession - I am suggesting that we don't pick this fight right now and wait for a little while.
Translation: Since my job is not impacted by this issue, I am not interested in reporting this fraud. I will wait, until my job gets affected.
Is that you have in mind, Mr. PuttonHead
.
Translation: Since my job is not impacted by this issue, I am not interested in reporting this fraud. I will wait, until my job gets affected.
Is that you have in mind, Mr. PuttonHead
.
more...
brshankar
08-07 03:54 PM
I was double minded to do porting or not. Now I am considering it very seriously. Got a green signal from my current EMPLOYER to go ahead for EB2.
Good Luck dude. You should definitely go for it.
Good Luck dude. You should definitely go for it.
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indianabacklog
01-27 08:53 PM
btw, since we have some engaged brits listening....is it worth the money to take the chunnel between paris and london? anyone done it? what's the best way to find cheap flights in europe? local insight would be much appreciated!!
as you can see i'm looking forward to london again ;)[/QUOTE]
The chunnel is a great way to travel to Paris, much more door to door than flying and nearly as quick if you count the waiting around in the airport.
The only way to get cheap flights in Europe is to use one of the cheap charter companies, such as Easy Jet, BMI Baby, Ryanair etc. There are more. There is a website that I use to use called cheapflights? If you go to Yahoo UK and search for cheap flights lots of options will appear. I am pleased you enjoyed your stay in London. I like the city, but to visit, just like New York.
as you can see i'm looking forward to london again ;)[/QUOTE]
The chunnel is a great way to travel to Paris, much more door to door than flying and nearly as quick if you count the waiting around in the airport.
The only way to get cheap flights in Europe is to use one of the cheap charter companies, such as Easy Jet, BMI Baby, Ryanair etc. There are more. There is a website that I use to use called cheapflights? If you go to Yahoo UK and search for cheap flights lots of options will appear. I am pleased you enjoyed your stay in London. I like the city, but to visit, just like New York.
more...
permfiling
03-10 01:02 PM
We can raise the issue is that the govt does not want to address our plight as
1. We are not entitled to any benefits till we get our GC such as Social security, benefits etc though we pay taxes which inturn are used by US citizens
2. We contribute to the economy by buying goods etc so there is a dual intent to keep the foreigners here but not to give them GC/citizen ship asap
1. We are not entitled to any benefits till we get our GC such as Social security, benefits etc though we pay taxes which inturn are used by US citizens
2. We contribute to the economy by buying goods etc so there is a dual intent to keep the foreigners here but not to give them GC/citizen ship asap
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gc_chahiye
10-17 07:28 PM
i heard from my lawyer that we shoud combine them...will talk to him again on Friday...lets see wat he suggests...
does anybody know the process of combining or withdrawing one set....
withdrawing is just a matter of sending them a letter and including your receipt number, asking for that application to be withdrawn.
I am worried about withdrawing because (they have been known to do silly things) of the risk that they withdraw BOTH petitions. We both have somewhat recent PDs, and wont get a chance to file again for YEARS! Might as well let them find out and ask what-to-do. My lawyer is simply waiting for the RFE!
There is also a chance that they dont even bring up the issue of the second application and the first one gets approved in due course of time...
does anybody know the process of combining or withdrawing one set....
withdrawing is just a matter of sending them a letter and including your receipt number, asking for that application to be withdrawn.
I am worried about withdrawing because (they have been known to do silly things) of the risk that they withdraw BOTH petitions. We both have somewhat recent PDs, and wont get a chance to file again for YEARS! Might as well let them find out and ask what-to-do. My lawyer is simply waiting for the RFE!
There is also a chance that they dont even bring up the issue of the second application and the first one gets approved in due course of time...
more...
fatjoe
10-26 03:57 PM
Alright, Congrats Caliguy!!!
I guess the emails and updates are sent by some kind of batch processing system. I got the email at 5:15 am, do you think that uscis guys would work that early...., duh....
So cool down, you will get email soon.
If you are doubtful, call uscis one more time, and confirm that your case is approved.
I guess the emails and updates are sent by some kind of batch processing system. I got the email at 5:15 am, do you think that uscis guys would work that early...., duh....
So cool down, you will get email soon.
If you are doubtful, call uscis one more time, and confirm that your case is approved.
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asdqwe2k
04-17 03:50 PM
I applied on Feb 12 and got my EAD yesterday.. This is my 4th EAD and from NSC.. I applied 3 1/2 months before my current one expires..
more...
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standinginline
08-19 10:24 PM
Congrats !!!
It feels good to see some EB3 approvals too...
Thank God!
Category - EB3
PD - Nov 2001
Center - VSC > TSC
8/6 - Email sent to TSC
8/6 - Card Production email and Text, status changed to Decision
8/13 - PDA
8/13 - Welcome letter received
8/14, 8/16, - SLUD
8/18 - Physical Cards received
I admit waiting for Physical cards was not fun at all...Checking mails everyday right when see the postman coming :)
Hang in there guys....its about time and Good Luck!
It feels good to see some EB3 approvals too...
Thank God!
Category - EB3
PD - Nov 2001
Center - VSC > TSC
8/6 - Email sent to TSC
8/6 - Card Production email and Text, status changed to Decision
8/13 - PDA
8/13 - Welcome letter received
8/14, 8/16, - SLUD
8/18 - Physical Cards received
I admit waiting for Physical cards was not fun at all...Checking mails everyday right when see the postman coming :)
Hang in there guys....its about time and Good Luck!
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DianaSteve
06-16 02:52 PM
I would like to file my 485 by myself and I believe I can do all what is necessary. But problem is attorney was handling everything so far. Now it almost reached a point that attorney fees for 485 will be too much to chew. My question is how to handle this situation, like convincing the attorney and he handing over all the papers etc..
thanks.
thanks.
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snathan
04-27 12:04 AM
We heard so many stories about violation many Indian bodyshoppers like bench without pay,Low pay ,fake resumes and many more. But when any bill comes to control them we are opposing. Because we fear that we may be one of the persons working in those companies and may be impacted by that.
Certainly the bill is not a pro immigrant and anti immigrant bill. But some kind of restriction is needed to clean out H1b. I accept as a pro immigrant we have to oppose any anti immigrant bill. So I am sure IV will try to block the bill as they did the restriction in TARP.
I am not going to get any benefit if they shut the door behind me. I need just one job that I can get any time and whatever compettion and there is no need to shut thousands of people. So my views are not based on any personal ambition.
I am seeing some positives in the bill. Wages will increase for the H1bs also. Only genuine companies can do the business. Best and bright people will not be impacted by this. Also it can open opportunity to increase H1b Cap and Green card Cap. So there is a good possiblity to reduce or eliminate retrogession.
Basically there are two options for IV and other pro immigrants if the bill is considered serously. One is just oppose the bill and try to block completely. Or other option is to negotiate to include our agenda to recapture/increase GC and also to modify the portions of bill. Instead of failing with option 1 getting success in option 2 is better.
I think this bill will not be passed if it is against WTO trade regulations.
So you never know all these violation when you were in H1. What were you doing then. Why didnt you oppose then. If you know the violation did you call the USCIS and DOL and complain...No. Because you would end up in trouble. Now you got your GC and no matter if other guys are end up in trouble, in fact it would be helpful for you... Are you ready to review your status thorught all your H1, all your PREM processing to prove there is no violation...? Eveyone know how things are working. So if you got your GC just keep quite and move on. When you can not be helpful to others...why you are just creating pain.
If you are worrying about the wages..let them free the employees from employer. Thats the best way to clean up the system. If you are really pro-immigrant your thoughts should align in that direction. But most of us see you as Ron Diamond in the making. Its very unfortunate. One study shows that only immigrants opposing immigration more than natvie people.
Certainly the bill is not a pro immigrant and anti immigrant bill. But some kind of restriction is needed to clean out H1b. I accept as a pro immigrant we have to oppose any anti immigrant bill. So I am sure IV will try to block the bill as they did the restriction in TARP.
I am not going to get any benefit if they shut the door behind me. I need just one job that I can get any time and whatever compettion and there is no need to shut thousands of people. So my views are not based on any personal ambition.
I am seeing some positives in the bill. Wages will increase for the H1bs also. Only genuine companies can do the business. Best and bright people will not be impacted by this. Also it can open opportunity to increase H1b Cap and Green card Cap. So there is a good possiblity to reduce or eliminate retrogession.
Basically there are two options for IV and other pro immigrants if the bill is considered serously. One is just oppose the bill and try to block completely. Or other option is to negotiate to include our agenda to recapture/increase GC and also to modify the portions of bill. Instead of failing with option 1 getting success in option 2 is better.
I think this bill will not be passed if it is against WTO trade regulations.
So you never know all these violation when you were in H1. What were you doing then. Why didnt you oppose then. If you know the violation did you call the USCIS and DOL and complain...No. Because you would end up in trouble. Now you got your GC and no matter if other guys are end up in trouble, in fact it would be helpful for you... Are you ready to review your status thorught all your H1, all your PREM processing to prove there is no violation...? Eveyone know how things are working. So if you got your GC just keep quite and move on. When you can not be helpful to others...why you are just creating pain.
If you are worrying about the wages..let them free the employees from employer. Thats the best way to clean up the system. If you are really pro-immigrant your thoughts should align in that direction. But most of us see you as Ron Diamond in the making. Its very unfortunate. One study shows that only immigrants opposing immigration more than natvie people.
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immigrationvoice1
03-24 09:40 AM
Is this for a job?
According to I-9 form, employers can't discriminate based on EAD. There are some exception where they require security clearance for the jobs.
You might want to remind CapitalOne of this anti-discrimination notice on I-9 or bring it to the notice of USCIS.
Yes, it is for a job which does NOT require security clearance.
Is there a formal way / method to let the company and USCIS know of such discrimination ? Any published guidelines from USCIS ?
According to I-9 form, employers can't discriminate based on EAD. There are some exception where they require security clearance for the jobs.
You might want to remind CapitalOne of this anti-discrimination notice on I-9 or bring it to the notice of USCIS.
Yes, it is for a job which does NOT require security clearance.
Is there a formal way / method to let the company and USCIS know of such discrimination ? Any published guidelines from USCIS ?
more...
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virtual55
08-07 09:57 AM
Think about Aman, he is still working for the benefit of EB community even though he got his greencard, I have US Masters degree but I don't support this.
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rodnyb
04-01 01:00 PM
OK, DOS buffer issue.
A. LAW. If there is no inventory in EB2 I/C (meaning demand). Theoretically DOS should make EB2 I/C CURRENT. DOS/CIS are not that dumb, or at least as dumb as before. I would say, they are very competent now and we should appreciate their work, pre-adjudicate, publish demand data (DOS), inventory data (CIS) processing time (DOS). THEY know, from PERM, I-140, there are at least 2K demand permonth from EB2 I/C. SO they will just safely move a couple of month of PD to make sure there is demand >2800 for India/China, so they don't have to make it CURRENT (per law)
B. LOGISTICS. There could be denials, RFEs, although most (I believe almost all 100% pre-07/2007 EB2 I/C) should be pre-adjudicated now (THANK DOS CIS specifically did this so no processing time, and no waster numbers hopefully). That is why DOS has to consider that in their demand, and CIS has to consider that in inventory numbers
C TIMING. Charles is shooting a moving target as well (his job is not easy as he cannot predicate future 100% and has to follow law, and use all visa numbers, we should appreciate that). Charles has no control on CIS number accuracy (I am sure CIS is trying hard as well), how fast EB1/EB2ROW/EB2I-c pre-072007 could come in, hey even some CIS employees need vacation in summer. So he has to make sure things can be done before August, so August could be only a month for fine tuning, not massive approvals, new applications (CIS wont look at them any way but takes man power), to use up all numbers and have some new applicants to keep the inventory (demand) at decent level.
I am July 2007 PD, and we all have hopes, dreams, life, etc, can can distort our judgement. We can discuss, but may to suppoert each other, and those warriors in DC. But hey, things could happen against our best intentions, wishes, anything can happen. SO life it short, live once, enjoy the ride, love people, appreciate love, and HAVE a great weekend, have fun.
I too had similar thoughts.. why would CIS/DOS stop keeping buffers? Is there any particular reason? Once they complete all 7/2007 applications I think it makes sense to move the date for a few months so they can accept applications. Also, remember there will be new monthly quota getting allocated to all categories. So to use those numbers should they not be progressing dates?
[QUOTE=cbpds;2494204]Rodnyb,
The below number is depressing, however dont you think DOS/USCIS always believe in keeping buffer and they may push the dates somewhere into 2009 just to accept 485 filings?
Why do think they will stop keeping any buffer?
A. LAW. If there is no inventory in EB2 I/C (meaning demand). Theoretically DOS should make EB2 I/C CURRENT. DOS/CIS are not that dumb, or at least as dumb as before. I would say, they are very competent now and we should appreciate their work, pre-adjudicate, publish demand data (DOS), inventory data (CIS) processing time (DOS). THEY know, from PERM, I-140, there are at least 2K demand permonth from EB2 I/C. SO they will just safely move a couple of month of PD to make sure there is demand >2800 for India/China, so they don't have to make it CURRENT (per law)
B. LOGISTICS. There could be denials, RFEs, although most (I believe almost all 100% pre-07/2007 EB2 I/C) should be pre-adjudicated now (THANK DOS CIS specifically did this so no processing time, and no waster numbers hopefully). That is why DOS has to consider that in their demand, and CIS has to consider that in inventory numbers
C TIMING. Charles is shooting a moving target as well (his job is not easy as he cannot predicate future 100% and has to follow law, and use all visa numbers, we should appreciate that). Charles has no control on CIS number accuracy (I am sure CIS is trying hard as well), how fast EB1/EB2ROW/EB2I-c pre-072007 could come in, hey even some CIS employees need vacation in summer. So he has to make sure things can be done before August, so August could be only a month for fine tuning, not massive approvals, new applications (CIS wont look at them any way but takes man power), to use up all numbers and have some new applicants to keep the inventory (demand) at decent level.
I am July 2007 PD, and we all have hopes, dreams, life, etc, can can distort our judgement. We can discuss, but may to suppoert each other, and those warriors in DC. But hey, things could happen against our best intentions, wishes, anything can happen. SO life it short, live once, enjoy the ride, love people, appreciate love, and HAVE a great weekend, have fun.
I too had similar thoughts.. why would CIS/DOS stop keeping buffers? Is there any particular reason? Once they complete all 7/2007 applications I think it makes sense to move the date for a few months so they can accept applications. Also, remember there will be new monthly quota getting allocated to all categories. So to use those numbers should they not be progressing dates?
[QUOTE=cbpds;2494204]Rodnyb,
The below number is depressing, however dont you think DOS/USCIS always believe in keeping buffer and they may push the dates somewhere into 2009 just to accept 485 filings?
Why do think they will stop keeping any buffer?
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feedfront
09-13 09:38 PM
Sept 11 was saturday. How did it change to 'decision'? :confused:
Anyway, Good luck! Hope you will get card by this weekend.
Anyway, Good luck! Hope you will get card by this weekend.
pappu
10-16 11:23 AM
I also spoke to Terry at NSC once. She is very nice and will try to tell you as many details as possible.
@ Alterego: Dude, when the responses you are getting are basically "under review, wait 90 days", it is much nicer to know details like storage area, exam area, and where your file is.
"storage area, exam area, and where your file is"
It is funny. :)
Is this information given to everyone or few?
If it is given to few then why not everyone?
Is this information accurate?
If IOs have this information, then this means they have very detailed information about the application. However posts from members show that it is not the case at all times.
Lack of information is driving everyone in a chaos and people make mass calls frequently to get information. USCIS should be providing all basic information on cases on case status area of the website. This would reduce number of calls to USCIS and reduce such posts where each conversation with an IO generates some information and misinformation on forums. This feeds to rumors and incorrect information circulated on forums. While such information helps generate lot of threads, page views and ad revenue for other websites, As an organization we should be cautioning people about this.
On the donor forum we have posted some tips what you can do get your greencard. There is no need to make calls everyday trying to get status. If your application is outside processing time, you can simply open a service request. There are other options like Ombudsman and local Congressman's office. We have also posted to our members that if if you have tried all options everywhere and you are in a desperate situation, Immigration voice will help its continued donor members.
In my opinion posts such as "storage area, exam area, and where your file is, pre-approved" only drive curiosity and mass calls that will not help processing of your case. We as an educated and mature community should not fall for such information on the forums.
@ Alterego: Dude, when the responses you are getting are basically "under review, wait 90 days", it is much nicer to know details like storage area, exam area, and where your file is.
"storage area, exam area, and where your file is"
It is funny. :)
Is this information given to everyone or few?
If it is given to few then why not everyone?
Is this information accurate?
If IOs have this information, then this means they have very detailed information about the application. However posts from members show that it is not the case at all times.
Lack of information is driving everyone in a chaos and people make mass calls frequently to get information. USCIS should be providing all basic information on cases on case status area of the website. This would reduce number of calls to USCIS and reduce such posts where each conversation with an IO generates some information and misinformation on forums. This feeds to rumors and incorrect information circulated on forums. While such information helps generate lot of threads, page views and ad revenue for other websites, As an organization we should be cautioning people about this.
On the donor forum we have posted some tips what you can do get your greencard. There is no need to make calls everyday trying to get status. If your application is outside processing time, you can simply open a service request. There are other options like Ombudsman and local Congressman's office. We have also posted to our members that if if you have tried all options everywhere and you are in a desperate situation, Immigration voice will help its continued donor members.
In my opinion posts such as "storage area, exam area, and where your file is, pre-approved" only drive curiosity and mass calls that will not help processing of your case. We as an educated and mature community should not fall for such information on the forums.
jasmin45
07-13 07:24 AM
The whole controversy involving Lou Dobbs and leprosy started with a “60 Minutes” segment a few weeks ago.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/30/business/30leonside.html
Robert Caplin for The New York Times
Lou Dobbs was at the anchor desk for CNN’s 2006 election coverage.
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Episodes of "Lou Dobbs Tonight"
"60 Minutes" of May 6, 2007 Leprosy Statistics The segment was a profile of Mr. Dobbs, and while doing background research for it, a “60 Minutes” producer came across a 2005 news report from Mr. Dobbs’s CNN program on contagious diseases. In the report, one of Mr. Dobbs’s correspondents said there had been 7,000 cases of leprosy in this country over the previous three years, far more than in the past.
When Lesley Stahl of “60 Minutes” sat down to interview Mr. Dobbs on camera, she mentioned the report and told him that there didn’t seem to be much evidence for it.
“Well, I can tell you this,” he replied. “If we reported it, it’s a fact.”
With that Orwellian chestnut, Mr. Dobbs escalated the leprosy dispute into a full-scale media brouhaha. The next night, back on his own program, the same CNN correspondent who had done the earlier report, Christine Romans, repeated the 7,000 number, and Mr. Dobbs added that, if anything, it was probably an underestimate. A week later, the Southern Poverty Law Center — the civil rights group that has long been critical of Mr. Dobbs — took out advertisements in The New York Times and USA Today demanding that CNN run a correction.
Finally, Mr. Dobbs played host to two top officials from the law center on his program, “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” where he called their accusations outrageous and they called him wrong, unfair and “one of the most popular people on the white supremacist Web sites.”
We’ll get to the merits of the charges and countercharges shortly, but first it’s worth considering why, beyond entertainment value, all this matters. Over the last few years, Lou Dobbs has transformed himself into arguably this country’s foremost populist. It’s an odd role, given that he spent the 1980s and ’90s buttering up chief executives on CNN, but he’s now playing it very successfully. He has become a voice for the real economic anxiety felt by many Americans.
The audience for his program has grown 72 percent since 2003, and CBS — yes, the same network that broadcasts “60 Minutes” — just hired him as a commentator on “The Early Show.” Many elites, as Mr. Dobbs likes to call them, despise him, but others see him as a hero. His latest book, “War on the Middle Class,” was a best seller and received a sympathetic review in this newspaper. Mario Cuomo has said Mr. Dobbs is “addicted to economic truth.”
Mr. Dobbs argues that the middle class has many enemies: corporate lobbyists, greedy executives, wimpy journalists, corrupt politicians. But none play a bigger role than illegal immigrants. As he sees it, they are stealing our jobs, depressing our wages and even endangering our lives.
That’s where leprosy comes in.
“The invasion of illegal aliens is threatening the health of many Americans,” Mr. Dobbs said on his April 14, 2005, program. From there, he introduced his original report that mentioned leprosy, the flesh-destroying disease — technically known as Hansen’s disease — that has inspired fear for centuries.
According to a woman CNN identified as a medical lawyer named Dr. Madeleine Cosman, leprosy was on the march. As Ms. Romans, the CNN correspondent, relayed: “There were about 900 cases of leprosy for 40 years. There have been 7,000 in the past three years.”
“Incredible,” Mr. Dobbs replied.
Mr. Dobbs and Ms. Romans engaged in a nearly identical conversation a few weeks ago, when he was defending himself the night after the “60 Minutes” segment. “Suddenly, in the past three years, America has more than 7,000 cases of leprosy,” she said, again attributing the number to Ms. Cosman.
To sort through all this, I called James L. Krahenbuhl, the director of the National Hansen’s Disease Program, an arm of the federal government. Leprosy in the United States is indeed largely a disease of immigrants who have come from Asia and Latin America. And the official leprosy statistics do show about 7,000 diagnosed cases — but that’s over the last 30 years, not the last three.
The peak year was 1983, when there were 456 cases. After that, reported cases dropped steadily, falling to just 76 in 2000. Last year, there were 137.
“It is not a public health problem — that’s the bottom line,” Mr. Krahenbuhl told me. “You’ve got a country of 300 million people. This is not something for the public to get alarmed about.” Much about the disease remains unknown, but researchers think people get it through prolonged close contact with someone who already has it.
What about the increase over the last six years, to 137 cases from 76? Is that significant?
“No,” Mr. Krahenbuhl said. It could be a statistical fluctuation, or it could be a result of better data collection in recent years. In any event, the 137 reported cases last year were fewer than in any year from 1975 to 1996.
So Mr. Dobbs was flat-out wrong. And when I spoke to him yesterday, he admitted as much, sort of. I read him Ms. Romans’s comment — the one with the word “suddenly” in it — and he replied, “I think that is wrong.” He then went on to say that as far as he was concerned, he had corrected the mistake by later broadcasting another report, on the same night as his on-air confrontation with the Southern Poverty Law Center officials. This report mentioned that leprosy had peaked in 1983.
Of course, he has never acknowledged on the air that his program presented false information twice. Instead, he lambasted the officials from the law center for saying he had. Even yesterday, he spent much of our conversation emphasizing that there really were 7,000 cases in the leprosy registry, the government’s 30-year database. Mr. Dobbs is trying to have it both ways.
I have been somewhat taken aback about how shameless he has been during the whole dispute, so I spent some time reading transcripts from old episodes of “Lou Dobbs Tonight.” The way he handled leprosy, it turns out, is not all that unusual.
For one thing, Mr. Dobbs has a somewhat flexible relationship with reality. He has said, for example, that one-third of the inmates in the federal prison system are illegal immigrants. That’s wrong, too. According to the Justice Department, 6 percent of prisoners in this country are noncitizens (compared with 7 percent of the population). For a variety of reasons, the crime rate is actually lower among immigrants than natives.
Second, Mr. Dobbs really does give airtime to white supremacy sympathizers. Ms. Cosman, who is now deceased, was a lawyer and Renaissance studies scholar, never a medical doctor or a leprosy expert. She gave speeches in which she said that Mexican immigrants had a habit of molesting children. Back in their home villages, she would explain, rape was not as serious a crime as cow stealing. The Southern Poverty Law Center keeps a list of other such guests from “Lou Dobbs Tonight.”
Finally, Mr. Dobbs is fond of darkly hinting that this country is under attack. He suggested last week that the new immigration bill in Congress could be the first step toward a new nation — a “North American union” — that combines the United States, Canada and Mexico. On other occasions, his program has described a supposed Mexican plot to reclaim the Southwest. In one such report, one of his correspondents referred to a Utah visit by Vicente Fox, then Mexico’s president, as a “Mexican military incursion.”
When I asked Mr. Dobbs about this yesterday, he said, “You’ve raised this to a level that frankly I find offensive.”
The most common complaint about him, at least from other journalists, is that his program combines factual reporting with editorializing. But I think this misses the point. Americans, as a rule, are smart enough to handle a program that mixes opinion and facts. The problem with Mr. Dobbs is that he mixes opinion and untruths. He is the heir to the nativist tradition that has long used fiction and conspiracy theories as a weapon against the Irish, the Italians, the Chinese, the Jews and, now, the Mexicans.
There is no denying that this country’s immigration system is broken. But it defies belief — and a whole lot of economic research — to suggest that the problems of the middle class stem from illegal immigrants. Those immigrants, remember, are largely non-English speakers without a high school diploma. They have probably hurt the wages of native-born high school dropouts and made everyone else better off.
More to the point, if Mr. Dobbs’s arguments were really so good, don’t you think he would be able to stick to the facts? And if CNN were serious about being “the most trusted name in news,” as it claims to be, don’t you think it would be big enough to issue an actual correction?
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/30/business/30leonside.html
Robert Caplin for The New York Times
Lou Dobbs was at the anchor desk for CNN’s 2006 election coverage.
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Episodes of "Lou Dobbs Tonight"
"60 Minutes" of May 6, 2007 Leprosy Statistics The segment was a profile of Mr. Dobbs, and while doing background research for it, a “60 Minutes” producer came across a 2005 news report from Mr. Dobbs’s CNN program on contagious diseases. In the report, one of Mr. Dobbs’s correspondents said there had been 7,000 cases of leprosy in this country over the previous three years, far more than in the past.
When Lesley Stahl of “60 Minutes” sat down to interview Mr. Dobbs on camera, she mentioned the report and told him that there didn’t seem to be much evidence for it.
“Well, I can tell you this,” he replied. “If we reported it, it’s a fact.”
With that Orwellian chestnut, Mr. Dobbs escalated the leprosy dispute into a full-scale media brouhaha. The next night, back on his own program, the same CNN correspondent who had done the earlier report, Christine Romans, repeated the 7,000 number, and Mr. Dobbs added that, if anything, it was probably an underestimate. A week later, the Southern Poverty Law Center — the civil rights group that has long been critical of Mr. Dobbs — took out advertisements in The New York Times and USA Today demanding that CNN run a correction.
Finally, Mr. Dobbs played host to two top officials from the law center on his program, “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” where he called their accusations outrageous and they called him wrong, unfair and “one of the most popular people on the white supremacist Web sites.”
We’ll get to the merits of the charges and countercharges shortly, but first it’s worth considering why, beyond entertainment value, all this matters. Over the last few years, Lou Dobbs has transformed himself into arguably this country’s foremost populist. It’s an odd role, given that he spent the 1980s and ’90s buttering up chief executives on CNN, but he’s now playing it very successfully. He has become a voice for the real economic anxiety felt by many Americans.
The audience for his program has grown 72 percent since 2003, and CBS — yes, the same network that broadcasts “60 Minutes” — just hired him as a commentator on “The Early Show.” Many elites, as Mr. Dobbs likes to call them, despise him, but others see him as a hero. His latest book, “War on the Middle Class,” was a best seller and received a sympathetic review in this newspaper. Mario Cuomo has said Mr. Dobbs is “addicted to economic truth.”
Mr. Dobbs argues that the middle class has many enemies: corporate lobbyists, greedy executives, wimpy journalists, corrupt politicians. But none play a bigger role than illegal immigrants. As he sees it, they are stealing our jobs, depressing our wages and even endangering our lives.
That’s where leprosy comes in.
“The invasion of illegal aliens is threatening the health of many Americans,” Mr. Dobbs said on his April 14, 2005, program. From there, he introduced his original report that mentioned leprosy, the flesh-destroying disease — technically known as Hansen’s disease — that has inspired fear for centuries.
According to a woman CNN identified as a medical lawyer named Dr. Madeleine Cosman, leprosy was on the march. As Ms. Romans, the CNN correspondent, relayed: “There were about 900 cases of leprosy for 40 years. There have been 7,000 in the past three years.”
“Incredible,” Mr. Dobbs replied.
Mr. Dobbs and Ms. Romans engaged in a nearly identical conversation a few weeks ago, when he was defending himself the night after the “60 Minutes” segment. “Suddenly, in the past three years, America has more than 7,000 cases of leprosy,” she said, again attributing the number to Ms. Cosman.
To sort through all this, I called James L. Krahenbuhl, the director of the National Hansen’s Disease Program, an arm of the federal government. Leprosy in the United States is indeed largely a disease of immigrants who have come from Asia and Latin America. And the official leprosy statistics do show about 7,000 diagnosed cases — but that’s over the last 30 years, not the last three.
The peak year was 1983, when there were 456 cases. After that, reported cases dropped steadily, falling to just 76 in 2000. Last year, there were 137.
“It is not a public health problem — that’s the bottom line,” Mr. Krahenbuhl told me. “You’ve got a country of 300 million people. This is not something for the public to get alarmed about.” Much about the disease remains unknown, but researchers think people get it through prolonged close contact with someone who already has it.
What about the increase over the last six years, to 137 cases from 76? Is that significant?
“No,” Mr. Krahenbuhl said. It could be a statistical fluctuation, or it could be a result of better data collection in recent years. In any event, the 137 reported cases last year were fewer than in any year from 1975 to 1996.
So Mr. Dobbs was flat-out wrong. And when I spoke to him yesterday, he admitted as much, sort of. I read him Ms. Romans’s comment — the one with the word “suddenly” in it — and he replied, “I think that is wrong.” He then went on to say that as far as he was concerned, he had corrected the mistake by later broadcasting another report, on the same night as his on-air confrontation with the Southern Poverty Law Center officials. This report mentioned that leprosy had peaked in 1983.
Of course, he has never acknowledged on the air that his program presented false information twice. Instead, he lambasted the officials from the law center for saying he had. Even yesterday, he spent much of our conversation emphasizing that there really were 7,000 cases in the leprosy registry, the government’s 30-year database. Mr. Dobbs is trying to have it both ways.
I have been somewhat taken aback about how shameless he has been during the whole dispute, so I spent some time reading transcripts from old episodes of “Lou Dobbs Tonight.” The way he handled leprosy, it turns out, is not all that unusual.
For one thing, Mr. Dobbs has a somewhat flexible relationship with reality. He has said, for example, that one-third of the inmates in the federal prison system are illegal immigrants. That’s wrong, too. According to the Justice Department, 6 percent of prisoners in this country are noncitizens (compared with 7 percent of the population). For a variety of reasons, the crime rate is actually lower among immigrants than natives.
Second, Mr. Dobbs really does give airtime to white supremacy sympathizers. Ms. Cosman, who is now deceased, was a lawyer and Renaissance studies scholar, never a medical doctor or a leprosy expert. She gave speeches in which she said that Mexican immigrants had a habit of molesting children. Back in their home villages, she would explain, rape was not as serious a crime as cow stealing. The Southern Poverty Law Center keeps a list of other such guests from “Lou Dobbs Tonight.”
Finally, Mr. Dobbs is fond of darkly hinting that this country is under attack. He suggested last week that the new immigration bill in Congress could be the first step toward a new nation — a “North American union” — that combines the United States, Canada and Mexico. On other occasions, his program has described a supposed Mexican plot to reclaim the Southwest. In one such report, one of his correspondents referred to a Utah visit by Vicente Fox, then Mexico’s president, as a “Mexican military incursion.”
When I asked Mr. Dobbs about this yesterday, he said, “You’ve raised this to a level that frankly I find offensive.”
The most common complaint about him, at least from other journalists, is that his program combines factual reporting with editorializing. But I think this misses the point. Americans, as a rule, are smart enough to handle a program that mixes opinion and facts. The problem with Mr. Dobbs is that he mixes opinion and untruths. He is the heir to the nativist tradition that has long used fiction and conspiracy theories as a weapon against the Irish, the Italians, the Chinese, the Jews and, now, the Mexicans.
There is no denying that this country’s immigration system is broken. But it defies belief — and a whole lot of economic research — to suggest that the problems of the middle class stem from illegal immigrants. Those immigrants, remember, are largely non-English speakers without a high school diploma. They have probably hurt the wages of native-born high school dropouts and made everyone else better off.
More to the point, if Mr. Dobbs’s arguments were really so good, don’t you think he would be able to stick to the facts? And if CNN were serious about being “the most trusted name in news,” as it claims to be, don’t you think it would be big enough to issue an actual correction?
