Mexico

A fence-building company in Southern California agrees to pay nearly $5 million in fines for hiring illegal immigrants. Two executives from the company may also serve jail time. The Golden State Fence Company's work includes some of the border fence between San Diego and Mexico.

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a set of FAQs on the air portion of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), which goes into effect beginning January 23, 2007, and applies to citizens of the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Bermuda. After that date, those citizens who are traveling by air between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport to enter the U.S. The FAQs appear below.

The Departments of State and Homeland Security have announced that beginning on January 23, 2007, it will be required "for citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda to present a passport to enter the United States when arriving by air from any part of the Western Hemisphere". The Press Release appears below.

Many foreign programmers, and other professionals, who would like to work for YouTube and Google wonder whether YouTube and Google sponsor individuals for H-1B visas. As you can see from the following chart, Google does indeed sponsor H-1B workers. Therefore, after the acquisition of YouTube by Google, Google will likely continue to sponsor individuals for H-1B visas provided that the H-1B quota, established by the U.S. government, has not run out.

In signing the Secure Fence Act of 2006 (H.R. 6061), legislation, President Bush stressed that the fence with Mexico is at most only part of the solution to the illegal immigration problem, and that a temporary worker plan is needed to "reduce pressure on our border". President Bush stated:

Under a new government proposal, U.S. citizens who frequently go back and forth between the U.S. and Mexico or Canada would pay $20 for a new credit card-sized travel document they could use instead of a passport.

Citizens and permanent residents of Mexico generally must have a nonimmigrant visa or Border Crossing Card (also known as a "Laser Visa") to travel to the U.S.