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Home > USCIS Fee Rule Imposes a Wealth Test for Citizenship, Prevents Asylum Seekers, Refugees from Becoming U.S. Residents
USCIS Fee Rule Imposes a Wealth Test for Citizenship, Prevents Asylum Seekers, Refugees from Becoming U.S. Residents
Contact: Christopher Gray
natzinquiries [at] rabengroup.com
Washington, D.C. — The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) joined a coalition of leading immigrants' rights organizations today in denouncing the Trump administration's decision to finalize a new USCIS Fee Rule drastically increasing the cost of applying for citizenship, receiving a green card or seeking asylum. This unprecedented policy shift puts in place the United States' first ever wealth test for citizenship, and will prevent millions of green card holders from ever becoming citizens.
STATEMENT FROM MELISSA RODGERS, DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS, IMMIGRANT LEGAL RESOURCE CENTER
"USCIS' new Fee Rule is just another example of the Trump administration's immoral focus on changing the demographic composition of our country, and it represents an unlawful and immoral use of executive authority at a moment of great national crisis. The new rule will greatly reduce the number of new U.S. citizens, while also severely limiting the number of refugees, asylum seekers, survivors of domestic violence and survivors of human trafficking and crimes that are able to secure the residency status and benefits to which they are legally entitled.
"By finalizing the largest-ever increase in naturalization fees in the midst of a historic economic downturn, the Trump administration has not only decided to impose our nation's first-ever wealth test for citizenship, it has also demonstrated its willingness to undermine the rule of law in the service of its ongoing attack on the U.S. immgration system. It is impossible to reconcile the administration's justification for this unprecedented increase in fees with USCIS' recent request for a $1.2 billion bailout from Congress. Absent a coherent justification for such a drastic action, the only logical explanation for this decision is that the administration is acting with its own political interests in mind. In an election year, the impact of these changes are especially catastrophic."
STATEMENT FROM BENJAMIN JOHNSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMERICAN IMMIGRATION LAWYERS ASSOCIATION
"Imposing these dramatic increases, especially at a time when the global economy is reeling from the impact of COVID-19 is irrational, harmful and misdirected. The fee increases will impact employers and vulnerable individuals, including asylees for the first time, and those seeking to take the final steps in becoming citizens, thus further hampering the energy, innovation, and drive of immigrants, assets the U.S. needs now more than ever. And at the same time USCIS is seeking a billion dollar bailout from Congress, it has capriciously planned to pass off its inefficiencies to the public by adding an additional 10 percent surcharge on these increased fees that will further hobble our economy and harm our shared prosperity."
STATEMENT FROM MICHAEL BYUN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ASIAN COUNSELING AND REFERRAL SERVICE
"We firmly denounce the Trump administration's actions to eliminate the fee waiver and dramatically increase the cost of naturalization. As the largest naturalization provider in Washington state, ACRS helps over 700 people apply for citizenship each year. This will hurt and harm older immigrant adults, immigrants with disabilities, and lower-income immigrants, preventing or making it difficult for them to become citizens. This act is the latest in a line of anti-immigrant actions by this administration that includes the Muslim ban, the reduction of refugees allowed to seek safe haven in the U.S. from violence and war, the separation of our families at our borders, the threat to penalize immigrants as a public charge for accessing health, housing and other essential benefits, and attempts to add the citizenship question to the 2020 census to instill fear toward our immigrant communities."
STATEMENT FROM RICH STOLZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ONEAMERICA
"These fees are yet another example of the Trump administration's willingness to go to any length to prevent immigrants from becoming full U.S. citizens and voters. With our economy entering a recession and millions laid off, the President should be creating more certainty and support, not imposing new financial burdens on families and closing off opportunities during a pandemic. Tens of thousands of Washington residents – who otherwise meet all requirements for naturalization – will simply be priced out of participating in our democracy and denied their right to vote. That's not right, and so we're committed to fighting this rule, and ensure our communities have access to naturalization and other immigration benefits they're rightfully eligible for."
STATEMENT FROM FRED TSAO, SENIOR POLICY COUNCIL, ILLINOIS COALITION FOR IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE RIGHTS
"This fee rule continues this administration's war on immigrants and sets up major barriers for immigrants who aspire to US citizenship. The drastic fee hike and the removal of fee waivers will price out many immigrants who qualify for naturalization in all aspects except the ability to pay. We will encourage immigrant working families to apply while they can still afford to, and continue to oppose this new rule in any way we can."
STATEMENT FROM ANGELICA SALAS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COALITION FOR HUMANE IMMIGRANT RIGHTS
CHIRLA condemns the continued assault on immigrant families through the massive fee hikes on naturalization, green card and other services proposed by Trump's USCIS in this cruel fee rule. It even continues the relentless attack on DACA with a smokescreen claiming that no new fees are being imposed. But we know that USCIS has already doubled the price by cutting the renewal period in half even as the President is doing everything possible to kill the program outright. Further, imposing a fee to apply for asylum is an end run to finish off that relief since charging even a penny takes it out of reach for many fleeing persecution, especially those in detention. By increasing fees and ending fee waivers, this administration aims to keep weaponizing a pandemic that has already done outsize damage to our people. We will resist with every fiber of our beings.
STATEMENT FROM ANNA GALLAGHER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CATHOLIC LEGAL IMMIGRATION NETWORK, INC.
This administration's fee schedule is yet another targeted attack on low income immigrants. This rule — a wealth test — determines who has access to security and citizenship based on how much money they have in their pocket instead of their God-given dignity and value to our communities.
STATEMENT FROM OLGA BYRNE, THE INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE'S DIRECTOR OF U.S. IMMIGRATION
USCIS's fee rule is the latest regulation that raises the bar of access along economic lines in a way that splits the immigrant community, including refugees, asylees, and asylum seekers, who come to the U.S. seeking protection from persecution. For the thousands of people the IRC works with who meet the qualifications for U.S. citizenship, the unconscionable increases in fees for naturalization will pose a potentially insurmountable barrier at the end of a long road towards permanent protection and security. The increased fees will disproportionately impact families with lower income, older immigrants, those with disabilities, and other vulnerable populations. Denying community members avenues to U.S. citizenship will ultimately harm our communities by diminishing the economic and social contributions of immigrants.
About the Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is a national nonprofit that works with immigrants, community organizations, legal professionals, and policymakers to build a democratic society that values diversity and the rights of all people. Through community education programs, legal training and technical assistance, and policy development and advocacy, the ILRC protects and defends the fundamental rights of immigrant families and communities. As a key part of its mission, ILRC serves as the lead agency for the New Americans Campaign, a non-partisan national campaign aimed at increasing the number of new Americans by ensuring access to the naturalization process and trusted legal assistance.
About the American Immigration Lawyers Association
The American Immigration Lawyers Association is the national association of immigration lawyers established to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, and enhance the professional development of its members.
About the Asian Counseling and Referral Service
Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) offers hope and opportunity in over 40 languages and dialects. We provide one door through which Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders of many generations -- immigrant, refugee, or American born -- can find the resources they need. We help transform the lives of families and individuals by helping people feed their loved ones, access resources, gain English language and work skills, become American citizens, recover from addiction, and achieve mind and body wellness. We serve seniors and people with disabilities, and we connect youth with job training and leadership development opportunities while ensuring they and their families receive the support they need to succeed in a new land. We support AAPIs and other underserved populations by advocating for their communities about issues that matter most to them.
About the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) was founded in 1986. CHIRLA is a California leader with a national impact made of diverse immigrant families and individuals who act as agents of social change to achieve a world with freedom of mobility, full human rights, and true participatory democracy. CHIRLA's mission is to achieve a just society fully inclusive of immigrants. CHIRLA organizes and serves individuals, institutions, and coalitions to build power, transform public opinion, and change policies to achieve full human, civil and labor rights. Guided by the power, love, and vision of our community, CHIRLA embraces and drives progressive social change. CHIRLA was formed in response to the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 which made hiring undocumented workers illegal, thus creating a situation ripe for worker exploitation and abuse which have increased since that time.
About OneAmerica
OneAmerica is the largest advocacy organization in Washington State, that advances the fundamental principles of democracy and justice at the local, state, and national levels by building power within immigrant communities in collaboration with key allies. Their The Washington New Americans Program (WNA) connects immigrants and refugees in Washington State to the information and legal services needed to successfully naturalize and exercise their civic voice.
About the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Established in 1986, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is a statewide coalition of more than 100 organizations dedicated to promoting the rights of immigrants and refugees to full and equal participation in the civic, cultural, social, and political life of our diverse society.
About the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.
The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, or CLINIC, advocates for humane and just immigration policy. Its network of nonprofit immigration programs — over 370 affiliates in 49 states and the District of Columbia — is the largest in the nation. CLINIC provides substantive legal and program management training and resources, as well as advocacy support at state, local and national levels.
About the International Rescue Committee
The International Rescue Committee responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is at work in over 40 countries and over 20 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future, and strengthen their communities. Learn more at www.rescue.org and follow the IRC on Twitter & Facebook.


of interest to those in this thread too, I am sure!
Saw these pics. PTS on a new turbo already?
Could it be--Magic Bamboo Metallic?!!!
Seems like the Magic Bamboo Metallic has a bit of brown in it.
hasn't been seen before, and magic bamboo might fit the bill.
or my photos taken at Porsche Leipzig last July.
consideration for at least the 911 Turbo & perhaps other models!
is a Porsche factory vehicle, not a customer PTS car!
Saw this PTS green Turbo (factory car) yesterday in Weissach.
favorite color of Ferry Porsche!
If you could find out for us, we all would appreciate it!
found out just before my meeting with 'Porsche Exclusive'!
Sascha's car is called 'Project LA' since that was it's destination!
Porsche and needs the funds to start a new phase in his career.
is priced quite right at just $164,990!
918 owners got special PTS privileges...but also paid a hefty price for it!
to others in this thread!
Apparently, 918 owners can still get anything they want? This car is sitting in the showroom at PoSD and they told me it is Continental Orange.
is for damn sure! And indeed 'Continental Orange' was on that list.
in a league of their own (color & price-wise)!
The Last of the 918s - the special PTS cars & their stories!
Liquid metal chrome blue is listed on the 918 configurator for $63K. Just my opinion, but I think that is just nuts. I still think Atlas Gray is a great color - my car prior to my purchasing it in 2005.
cars have been painted in this color?
$63K. Just my opinion, but I think that is just nuts.
PTS option...but just a 'Special Color' for special people.
call them 'Insane Asylums' in the past!).
But thankfully, that is not what we will do with these 'special' owners.
our 'Politically Correct' world like to see? 'Diversity'.
if there is any interest!
seen another Pastel Orange 991 GT3, here she is..!!
Congratulations, GR8! Another fellow Canadian with a PTS gt3, eh!
I happen to like 'Pastel Orange' very much.
retired 'RS Orange', color code 8C6, after MY2010.
hue you can get via PTS from Porsche today!
exact shade of orange... But orange for sure!
You are correct. It's 'Gulf Orange'!
Sold by Walter's in Riverside!
Maybe one the best current PTS colors IMO that nobody does.
'Orange' in Porsche's long history!
Well I am trying to understand your 'thinking'.
never been approved as a PTS color for the 991/981!
will be able to tell the difference. They are nothing alike!
I hope this was of some assistance!
Pastel is well, more pastel!
Eduardo, what color were the wheels and mirrors on the early 997rs cars? Not the same as the regular orange body paint, I don't think?
orange body paint, I don't think?
same 'Orange', color code 8C6.
same paint on the car's body*.
like all solid/uni paints presently at Porsche.
view mirrors on the 'Black' or 'Silver' versions.
991 which were slightly off!
Painted brake calipers 'options' from Porsche...to be continued!
excellent post in the near future!
Is there a list of caliper colors Porsche Exclusive / PTS are offering?
as an option (at nearly $3K cost) if you didn't want 'Acid Green'.
great pics of unusual cars that illustrate your points. Thank you!!
(one of the most annoying/confusing practices in the car industry).
(2001 MY) 996 Turbos. Also remember the "lifetime of the car"
Yellow became the standard yellow for the 986, 993 (?), and 996.
back further, to 964s? Would have to research.
caliper since then. Even my mechanic hates caliper color changes.
Won't do them anymore, so maybe Porsche feels the same way?
it is currently used for S vehicles in some cases where red isn't.
allow people to get the brakes they want without clashing colors.
a theory supported by the S GO press plate on the front bumper.
make sense to protect the CEO's identity for a photo such as this.
he kept it as a personal car.
What is the exact color code today of the Blue Metallic' on this Spyder?
Milehigh: We should ask the owner to clarify his exact color & color code.
But here is my take from what he has already told us.
current approved PTS doesn't list that as 'Midnight Blue Metallic'.
Whatever the color code is, it's very attractive!


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The North 40 Specific Plan Area is approximately 44 acres and is bounded by Highway 85 on the north, Lark Avenue on the south, Highway 17 on the west, and Los Gatos Boulevard on the east.
The Town Council will hold a public hearing to continue their consideration of potential amendments to the North Forty Specific Plan. The meeting will occur on January 16, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers at 110 E. Main Street. The intention is not a rewrite of the entire Plan.
On September 19, 2017, the Town Council adopted a temporary Urgency Ordinance extending for a period of ten months and fifteen days the moratorium prohibiting the processing and issuance of future land use entitlements within the North 40 Specific Plan area until an update to the North 40 Specific Plan has been completed.
On August 15, 2017, the Town Council adopted a temporary Urgency Ordinance prohibiting the processing and issuance of future land use entitlements within the North 40 Specific Plan area until an update to the North 40 Specific Plan has been completed.
In response to the Judge's ruling, the Town Council heard public testimony on July 24, 2017 regarding the reconsideration of the development applications submitted by Grosvenor USA Limited, SummerHill Homes LLC, and Eden Housing, Inc. The hearing was continued to August 1, 2017. On August 1, 2017, the Town Council adopted a resolution to rescind Resolution 2016-04 denying the applications (Resolution 2017-044) and adopted a resolution to approve the applications, making certain findings and placing conditions on the development (Resolution 2017-045).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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JSW Works for Organ
JSW Works for Organ, John Scott Whiteley, The Organ of York Minster
Catalogue Number: REGCD353
Price: �.77 (inc VAT) / �.64 (ex VAT)
Option: N/A
Stock Status: In-Stock
John Scott Whiteley
The Organ of York Minster
"Whiteley's music, by turns vigorous and introspective, is a valuable addition to modern organ literature; but this disc is also worth having as a marvellous record of his accomplished skills as a performer" The Organ winter 2011
"To hear a great performer playing an instument with which he has been in daily contact for almost thirty-five years is pleasure enough, but to hear him playing his own music is to be given a privileged look into his innermost thoughts.... His playing is legendary for his breadth of understanding and technical command" Cathedral Music May 2011
1 Intrada, for Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of York (1987) (3:56)
2 In Memoriam Maurice Duruflé: Scherzo, Op.11a (2006) (6:43)
3 Toccata di dissonanze, on themes of Frescobaldi, Op.7 (1998) (10:13)
4 Aubade, for Sylvestrinas, Op. 8 (1999) (4:03)
<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]-->
Trilogy on Stanzas of Shakespeare's Sonnets, Op.11 (2002) (15:02)
5 i Sebastiana (2:08)
6 ii Ripponden (9:23)
7 iii Hotch-potch (3:31)
8 Scherzetto and fugue on the name Francis Jackson, Op.15 (2007) (6:52)
For Dr Francis Jackson's 90th Birthday
Five Sisters Windows: Glass effect pieces for organ, Op.18 (2010) (17:30)
9 i Glints (4:12)
10 ii Tracery (2:02)
11 iii Dichroic variations (3:26)
12 iv Grisaille (3:30)
13 v Lancets (4:20)
14 Passacaglia, Op.17 (2008-2009) (11:38)
� Copyright Regent Records


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BENIGHTED: Obscene Repressed
Obscene Repressed
BRUTAL DEATH METAL/DEATHGRIND: Benighted is back in a big way with their latest release Obscene Repressed. The new record is a concept album that tells a twisted tale of a young man with a deformity, who feeds a part of himself to his unwitting mother in an attempt to bring himself closer to her (in a carnal way). With a story that feels like a contemporary horror flick, yet seems like it could've been pulled from the annals of classical mythology (think Atreus and Thyestes crossed with the Oedipus trilogy), Benighted pulls no punches when it comes to upping the gore level on this one. Luckily, if that sort of thing isn't your cup of tea, the album is musically exhilarating. The drums and guitar riffage are absolutely unrelenting, and frontman Julien Truchan is incredibly versatile in his vocal delivery—especially early on during "Nails," which sees Truchan alternating between low throaty growls to brutal pig squeals.
Having been at this since 1998, the group certainly has nothing to prove. They are the heaviest French act and have already cemented their spot in the brutal death metal genre, among such contemporaries as Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, and Aborted. However, it's nice to see a band that has been at it this long that can still put out an album that is sonically interesting. For proof, look no further than the track "Muzzle," which begins as a super-fast grindcore song, but breaks into an airy, jazzy interlude close to a minute and a half in that feels completely right, and then back into absolutely evil brutality. At the same time, the album has plenty of just straight grindcore tracks, like "Casual Piece of Meat" and "Undivided Dismemberment," that will satisfy even the elitist fans.
The tradition of Benighted tapping guest vocalists has continued on this record, with the most notable guest spot going to Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta, whose instantly recognizable voice sounds out over tribal drums at the start of "Implore the Negative." Jasta manages to bring a hardcore feel to deathgrind—something that sounds like it would be weird, but in actuality, completely rips. This one is sure to be a blast live—just listening to it play out, you can picture the push pits going apeshit. Another guest spot sees Sebastian "Grimo" Grihm of the band Cytotoxin lending his talents to one of the heaviest tracks on the album, "The Starving Beast." The combination of Grimo and Truchan gives a downright demonic feel to track.
The album's story arc ends with the dark and brooding track "Bound to Facial Plague," which brings a satisfyingly heavy conclusion to the record. Benighted has also included two bonus tracks on the final version of the record, which while not available to review, include a cover of Slipknot's "Get This" that is sure to be incredible. On Obscene Repressed, Benighted shows there is still room for brutal death metal to grow, taking the genre to new heights in macabre brutality. ~ Nathan Katsiaficas
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As more videos continue to come out on Barack Obama's days before he became President of the United States, it seems that he has quite a lot to answer for and the state run media has quite a lot to answer for as well. A recent video from 2005 has surfaced in which Obama claims that Americans in the private sector who have achieved financial success dis so due to "blind luck" and a "generation of women doing someone else's laundry and looking after someone else's children to get you here."
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Miley Cyrus records 'Black Skinhead' remix with Kanye West?
David Renshaw Aug 28, 2013 3:19 pm BST
Kanye West performs on stage at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013, at the Barclays Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Singer reportedly misses VMA after-party to work with 'Yeezus' rapper
Miley Cyrus reportedly missed the MTV VMA after party to work on a new remix with Kanye West.
Cyrus, who caused controversy with a provocative dance routine while performing with Robin Thicke during the ceremony, reportedly went straight from the event to a studio with West to record a remix of his song 'Black Skinhead'. The New York Post reports that Cyrus will appear on a new remix EP that West is working on.
The Page Six section of the paper says that, "Cyrus skipped her own VMA after-party at No 8 and went into the studio for what her reps described as a late-night, 'top secret' collaboration. The rapper was one of the few artists not spotted out at Jay Z and Diddy's bash in New York, which went on into the early hours of Monday. West was also said to have headed straight to the studio after the MTV event at Brooklyn's Barclays Center."
Meanwhile, MTV has been criticised by America's Parents Television Council (PTC) for broadcasting Cyrus' performance as part of the VMAs live show.
During a medley of her recent Number One hit 'We Can't Stop' and Robin Thicke's singles 'Blurred Lines' and 'Give It 2 U', Cyrus stripped down to a flesh-coloured bikini and was seen pointing at Thicke's crotch with a foam finger before 'twerking' provocatively against his striped trousers. Click here for a GIF of the twerking incident.
The VMAs live show also featured performances from Kanye West, Katy Perry and Justin Timberlake and a reunited 'N Sync, as well as a rare public appearance by Daft Punk.
Meet Lil Miquela, the real life Ashley O
AC/DC in 1979 Credit: Getty
AC/DC return to social media to mark 40th anniversary of 'Highway To Hell'
These musicians have made themselves look really old using FaceApp