Signs of Old Age…

Okay, so this is how you realize you've been doing something for a loooooooooong time:You are trying to find the answer to a cryptic question you think you once had figured out.You search on Google.You promptly find a long-winded article you wrote on the subject 3 years ago as the 4th link on y...

Jose E. Latour Nov 04, 2009

In Praise of Biometrics

It was back in 1988 when I first sat down to teach Border Patrolofficers stationed at the very porous El Paso/Ciudad Juarez border the difference between legitimate "Micas " - border crossing cards (BCCs) - and those which were fraudulent.  Incredible as it seems, the profitable art o...

Jose E. Latour Jul 28, 2009

The Madoff Reflex: Offshore Private Wealth Clients Flock to New Money Managers

While the headlines have been full of painful stories regarding those who lost millions to Madoff's Ponzi scheme, wealthy clients who did not invest with him are taking a fresh new look at their financial management teams...and deciding they can do better. Last week, as reports of client defect...

Jose E. Latour Jun 30, 2009

Why Are There So Many CRUMMY Immigration Attorneys?

I haven't written here in awhile and I hate to get back in the saddle via a RANT, but I am seriously upset: in the past two days, I have been approached by not one, not two, but THREE prospective clients sharing the same basic problem: their otherwise straightforward immigration case has been d...

Jose E. Latour May 12, 2009

Time for a Cool Change

Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th U.S. President today, and what a ride it's been. To me, one of the most intriguing (and admirable) qualities of this man is how his pragmatism seems to defuse agendas.  In these past days, I've discussed this sea change in our national agenda w...

Jose E. Latour Jan 20, 2009

Illegal Immigrants Flow Home from U.S.

Today's Miami Herald front page story is about the economy and how illegal aliens are heading home.  It is Sunday and I don't have much to say today except this:Immigrant labor, legal or illegal, is like any other commodity and affected by supply and demand.  The unskilled worker...

Jose E. Latour Nov 30, 2008

Modest Proposal #2: How to Help the Auto Industry AND Consumers

This one is simple, though the relevance to immigration is, uh, vague:-The government is giving the auto industry $25 billion dollars-There are about 200 million drivers in the U.S.-That breaks down to $125 per driver-Let's hypothesize that a driver buys a new car every 5 years and forget that ...

Jose E. Latour Nov 14, 2008

Our Low Tech Commitment to High Tech Border Security

Tempted as I am to rant and rave over this latest stunning fiasco just revealed about ANOTHER failure in our national immigration security...I will spare you.  I went to the Holocaust museum today and I am drained.  But here is a brief chronology of events from the point of view of this fo...

Jose E. Latour Oct 26, 2008

Basic Economics

I sat there, stunned, as George W. Bush gave the nation a nutshell explanation of basic economic theory, reading his Teleprompter quite well and not stumbling as he usually does.  Still, what he was saying would have been more clearly stated to the American people via a simple "We in a HEA...

Jose E. Latour Sep 25, 2008

McDonald’s Franchisee Agrees to Whopper of a Fine…

I know, I know, I apologize for the headline but it was impossible NOT to do it.The most telling part about this news is its source: released on PR Newswire by the USG, which used the opportunity to boast of the $31 million in criminalfines, restitutions and civil judgments as a result of worksitere...

Jose E. Latour Jul 17, 2008