JACKSON — A naturalized U.S. citizen has been charged in Mississippi with transporting two illegal Chinese immigrants who came to the U.S. through Mexico. A criminal complaint in U.S. District Court in Jackson, said the illegal immigrants went from China to Hong Kong to Honduras. The complaint says they traveled through Mexico and crossed the [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: August 22,2012
Tags: bench, courts, employee, employment, fine, illegal immigrant, illegals, immigrants, immigration, jail, judge, prison, restitution, sentence, sentencing, visa, work visa, worker
GULFPORT — A 41-year-old South Florida businessman has been sentenced to prison, fined and ordered to pay $197,000 to 29 victims of visa fraud. The Sun Herald reports Michael V. Lombardi received a prison term of four years and three months, was fined $10,000 and given three years of probation after he serves his full [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: May 21,2012
Tags: courts, employees, foreign workers, fraud, immigrants, legal immigrants, pleading, temporary workers, visas, work, workers
GULFPORT — A 41-year-old Florida businessman has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit visa fraud by obtaining fraudulent temporary work visas for workers from the Philippines for Mississippi jobs. The Sun Herald reports Michael V. Lombardi, of West Palm Beach, faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine at sentencing Aug. 6. [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: April 5,2012
Tags: bills, illegal immigrants, illegal workers, immigrants, immigration, law enforcement, lawmakers, laws, legislation, legislative, legislators, Legislature
JACKSON — A Mississippi House chairman today abandoned his effort to revive tougher immigration enforcement provisions that included requiring local police to report suspected illegal immigrants to federal authorities. The bill, which was killed earlier this week by a Senate chairman, now appears to be dead this legislative session. House Judiciary B Committee Chairman Andy [...] [...]
GULFPORT — A Mississippi man has pleaded guilty to transporting illegal immigrants from Texas to northern New York, where he was arrested after mistakenly trying to enter Canada. The Watertown (N.Y.) Daily Times reports 34-year-old Jason Lindsey of Biloxi pleaded guilty last Friday in federal court in Syracuse, N.Y. According to federal prosecutors, Lindsey was [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: March 29,2012
Tags: agriculture, bill, builders, building, chambers of commerce, contractors, county government, executive, farmers, farms, foreign workers, gorwers, governor, illegal immigrants, illegal workers, immigrants, immigration, law, law enfocement, law enforcement, lawmakers, legislative, legislators, Legislature, municipal government, municipalities, police, producers, sheriff, supervisors, workers
JACKSON — Gov. Phil Bryant said he doesn’t understand some of the opposition that’s developed to an immigration-enforcement bill, particularly from businesses that say they don’t hire illegal immigrants, anyway. “If they’re not hiring illegal immigrants I am baffled as to why they think this law would be detrimental to their work,” Bryant told reporters [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: March 28,2012
Tags: agriculture, bill, builders, contractors, farmers, foreign workers, illegal immigrants, immigrants, immigration, lawmakers, laws, legislation, legislators, producers, ranchers, workers
JACKSON — Building contractors and agriculture groups, including those representing the poultry industry and sweet-potato growers, say they’re against an immigration-enforcement bill awaiting debate in Mississippi. Their opposition indicates growing political difficulties for a bill supported by first-term Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, who won office last November with the help of tea party groups and [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: March 27,2012
Tags: bill, cities, county government, foreign workers, illegal immigrants, immigrants, immigration, law, law enforcement, lawmakers, municipal government, municipalities, police, sheriff, state government, supervisors, towns, trade associations, workers
JACKSON — Four influential groups in Mississippi say they’re opposing an immigration enforcement bill because of unanswered questions about how it would affect police agencies and local government. The Associated Press obtained a letter sent to senators yesterday by the heads of the Mississippi Municipal League and the associations of sheriffs, police chiefs and county [...] [...]
by MBJ Staff Published: March 20,2012
Tags: bill, federal agency, federal department, federal government, foreign workers, immigrants, law, lawmaker, legislative branch, legislators, workers
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) will support legislation to stop the implementation of new federal regulations governing a temporary foreign worker visa program, saying the regulatory changes are flawed and detrimental to seasonal industries like shrimping on the Gulf Coast. Cochran announced that he would cosponsor a joint resolution of disapproval challenging the [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: March 15,2012
Tags: bills, illegal immigrants, illegal workers, immigrants, immigration, lawmakers, laws, legislation, legislators, state government, state law
JACKSON — Mississippi House members want to step up enforcement against illegal immigrants, voting 70-47 in favor just after midnight. Leaders stripped more controversial provisions before the vote on House Bill 488. After initially failing, opponents of the bill were able on a second attempt to strip a provision requiring schools to count illegal immigrants, [...] [...]