The Foreign Service Journal, June 2006

premium-class travel was not proper- ly authorized, justified or both. Further, the audit found that six million dollars worth of tickets were never used or processed for refunds. State was also found to have default- ed, in effect, on $2.7 million in possi- ble rebates due to a failure to dispute unauthorized charges and pay the bill in accordance with the contract. State has concurred with all 18 rec- ommendations the GAO made to remedy the situation, including regu- lar audits of premium-class travel and requirements for identification and processing of unused electronic tick- ets. — Shawn Guan, Editorial Intern Immigration Reform: Dueling Proposals Immigration is a terribly important issue in the United States and, as it always has been, a highly charged one. To make the kind of major changes in legislation needed to deal with the fact of some 12 million “illegal” immi- grants currently living and working in the country in an election year re- quires political sagacity of an extreme- ly high order. So it should not be sur- prising that the outlook is bleak for near-term success —President Bush’s May 15 prime-time plea for compro- mise notwithstanding. And perhaps that’s just as well, a contribution to “The Immigration Debate” on the Foreign Policy Association Web site suggests. For with more time for thought and dis- cussion, a better policy may emerge ( http://www.fpa.org/topics_info2 414/topics_info_show.htm?doc_ id=368994 ). Moreover, in the view of many, Foreign Service officers among them, concerted attention to legal immigra- tion procedures and practices — the manpower crisis resulting from new visa processing requirements, the effects of more stringent require- ments on education and business, etc. — is urgent and, in fact, overdue. As it now stands, however, the focus is on the “illegals.” Congress has produced several widely divergent pieces of legislation. The Senate pro- posal leans more towards immigrant rights, while the House bill is skewed towards security. In the Senate, the Secure America and Orderly Immi- gration Act, S.1033, by Senators John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., features a guest- worker program, a reduction of the immigration backlog and stricter bor- der security measures. A compromise, S.2611, drafted by Senators Mel Martinez, R-Fla., and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., retains those features but tightens restrictions for the guest-worker program. The com- promise would allow illegal immi- grants who have been in the U.S. five or more years an opportunity to stay and earn citizenship and those who have been in the U.S. two or more years a chance to earn a temporary work visa. But those here for fewer than two years would have to return to their countries of origin. The Sensenbrenner bill, H.R.4437, passed by the House of Representa- tives in December takes a harsher tone toward illegal immigration. Under its provisions, illegal entry into the U.S. would be considered a felony, as would affording humanitar- ian assistance to illegal immigrants. Companies found to be employing illegal migrants would be fined. In addition, the bill passed calls for a 700-mile-long fence on the U.S.- Mexico border and the removal of birthright citizenship from the chil- dren of illegal immigrants. The legislation can be accessed and tracked online at www.thomas. loc.gov . In addition, there are a wealth of online resources that are useful in coming to grips with this vital issue. The Community Resource Bank ( http://communityresource bank.org/ ) contains demographic data on immigrants as well as links to other resources on the topic. The Urban Institute, along with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, has published a detailed report on immigration data ( http://www.urban.org/Uploaded PDF/310844_the_new_neigh bors.pdf ) . TheGovernment Account- ability Office has created a page with links to all of their previous studies on immigration, both legal and otherwise ( http://www.gao.govdocsearch/ featured/immigration.html ). F or more resources, please see the Nation- al Immigration Law Center ( http:// www.nilc.org/ ) and the Center for Immigration Studies ( http://www.c is. org / ). — Shawn Guan, Editorial Intern J U N E 2 0 0 6 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 13 R ussia has a choice to make. And there is no question that a return to democratic reform in Russia will generate further success for its people and greater respect among fellow nations. Democratization in Russia helped to end the Cold War, and the Russian people have made heroic progress in overcoming the miseries of the 20th century. They deserve now to live out their peaceful aspirations under a government that upholds freedom at home, and builds good relations abroad. — Vice President Richard Cheney, from remarks at the 2006 Vilnius Conference, May 4 , www.whitehouse.gov . C Y B E R N O T E S