Rethinking “Ineffective Assistance” of Immigration Counsel

Yesterday I wrote about the astoundingly high percentage of immigration clients who walk through my door after having been ripped off, defrauded, or simply incompetently represented by an attorney, notario, or immigration consultant.  I told you that based upon what I've seen so far in 200...

Jose E. Latour Sep 24, 2009

When it Really is the Immigration Lawyer’s Fault

Over the course of the past two decades of legal practice, I've observed a trend which, frankly, reflects poorly on my profession as an immigration attorney.  First, as a consular officer in Mexico, I was astounded almost daily at both the regularity of fundamental legal mistakes...

Jose E. Latour Sep 23, 2009

Welcome…to the Machine

Well, today is the fifth day of my joining Bernstein Osberg-Braun & De Moraes and what a ride it's been so far.  It's been six-plus years since Lorenzo bought me out at Latour & Lleras and my first reentry into a "real" office environment (as opposed to working from ...

Jose E. Latour Sep 18, 2009

“YOU LIE!”- The Aftermath

Just a quick note since a few of you asked:  when I wrote yesterday's editorial regarding the epidemic stupidity in Washington and the fact that the various forms of pending legislation ALL prohibit medical benefits or subsidies to undocumented aliens, I didn't even KNOW about Rep. Jo...

Jose E. Latour Sep 11, 2009

Don’t Buy the Lies: Illegal Aliens WILL NOT Get Free Healthcare

I'll tell you one thing: news travels FAST on the Internet, especially when it's nonsense.  Yesterday I received an email from my beloved brother in law, a hopeless conspiracy theorist, regarding the President's so-called foreign birth.  I actually read the whole thing out o...

Jose E. Latour Sep 10, 2009

Revisiting the EB-5 with Eyes Wide Open

Those of you who've been reading me for awhile -- as in from the "Port of Entry" days back when dinosaurs ruled the Internet -- probably know that I have been rather, er, vocal about my opinion about the EB-5 Immigrant Investor visa, particularly the Pilot Program Regional Center inve...

Jose E. Latour Sep 03, 2009

Ripples from Broken RE Bubble Hobble Foreign Investors

The Wall Street Journal reported today that Mexico's prominent Cababie family, owners of the respected Grupo Gicsa developmentcompany, is "potentially on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollarsas a result of personal guarantees they made on loans used to financetwo major U.S. real-est...

Jose E. Latour Sep 02, 2009

Border Visa Processing: Practical Benefits Diminished

Earlier this year I had the privilege of co-authoring ILW.COM's 2009-2010 Edition of The Consular Posts Book, edited by Rami Fakhoury.  Actually, "co-authoring" is a bit grandiose and exaggerated: I wrote the section on visa processing in Port Au Prince, Haiti.  Still, it ha...

Jose E. Latour Aug 31, 2009

UBS AG Coughs Up Names of U.S. Account Holders

So much for banking privacy at UBS: pursuant to terms of the Swiss-USG tax-evasion overhaul/settlement, the Wall Street Journal reported today that UBS AG will be handing over some 4,450 names of U.S. account holders.  Both governements had cut the deal with UBS last week but the final settleme...

Jose E. Latour Aug 19, 2009

It’s Official: USG Crackdown on Employers, I-9 Compliance

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that Obama's new chief of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced an intensified crackdown on U.S. employers who hire unauthorized workers.  John Morton, new head of ICE (which is part of the Department of Homeland Security) t...

Jose E. Latour Aug 19, 2009