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April 3 04 Immigrant News: US-VISIT Program, Farm workers Killed in Car Accident 1) U.S. Fingerprint Plan Dismays Foreigners
TOKYO (AP) - Expanded U.S. plans to fingerprint and photograph millions of foreigners upon entry got cautious support from most nations, but travelers were frustrated. The move, announced Friday by the Bush administration, affects citizens in 27 countries, including some of America's staunchest allies, who had been allowed to travel within the United States without visas for up to 90 days. Governments were largely understanding and said they wouldn't impose similar requirements on U.S. visitors for now, as Brazil did last winter when the US-VISIT program began. The Australian government - which has sent troops to join the U.S.-led campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq - said it knew that the United States was considering such steps. However, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said Saturday that they would seek clarification from U.S. authorities. Many Australians were furious. ``I think it's ridiculous,'' said Hilbert Ho, a 30-year-old graphics designer in downtown Sydney. ``It will probably drive a wedge between us and them.'' That sentiment was echoed in Singapore, where businessman Gerald Liew said he thought Washington was overreacting. ``Singapore has been fighting terror just like the United States,'' he said, adding the new policy ``only makes me feel like I'm not really wanted there.'' The changes in the US-VISIT program will take effect by Sept. 30. Travelers from the 27 countries will be fingerprinted and photographed each time they enter the United States through any of 115 international airports and 14 seaports. The program will be expanded to border crossings later. Citizens from those countries still won't have to go through the consulate interviews and background checks that people from other nations must do to obtain visas. U.S. officials announced the measures after determining that most of the so-called ``visa-waiver countries'' won't meet an October deadline to have biometric passports. Such passports include fingerprint and iris identification features that make the documents virtually impossible to counterfeit. Britain's Foreign Office said most travelers would understand Washington's policy was for their own safety. It said London had no plans to require U.S. citizens to provide fingerprints and photographs and would start issuing its own biometric passports in mid-2005. Italy, another key U.S. ally, started issuing new machine-readable passports late last year to comply with the new U.S. requirements, but many old passports are still in circulation, an Interior Ministry official said. Officials in France, where opposition to the U.S. war in Iraq was strong, had no immediate comment. But opinions in the streets of Paris were mixed. Guillaume Bronstein said he did not object, as long as the information was used only for fighting terrorism and did not affect personal liberties. ``It's fine if it can keep people from getting killed,'' he said. A spokesman for New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said the reported changes had ``important implications for New Zealand,'' but declined to elaborate. In Tokyo, Makoto Kamijo said he would feel safer if the U.S. compulsory checks were for all foreigners. ``I just hope they won't misuse the personal data,'' the 26-year-old software engineer said. Japan sent a naval rearguard to aid U.S. forces rounding up Taliban and al-Qaida members in Afghanistan and recently deployed troops to help with Iraqi reconstruction efforts in its biggest overseas dispatch since World War II. There are no changes in unique rules covering visits by Canadians and Mexicans. The 27 countries are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. 04/03/04 03:38 EST FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) - A van carrying 19 workers from a Florida orange grove flipped over on an interstate highway Thursday, killing seven men who were ejected from the vehicle, state police said. Six died at the scene and the seventh died at a hospital, Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Tim Frith said. Twelve others who were injured were taken to area hospitals. According to police, the men - all workers for the Circle H Citrus Co. - had left an orange grove in the town of Sebastian, 27 miles north of Fort Pierce. Witnesses said the Ford cargo van was swerving in its lane and then crossed into the grassy median and rolled over four times, Frith said. ``It appeared that the driver was moving in the lane as if he was distracted for some reason,'' Frith said, describing what witnesses told police. ``It's a very heart-wrenching accident.'' The van had four bench seats, along with single seats for a driver and passenger, Frith said. Troopers were investigating whether the van was over its capacity. Mark Weinberg, a spokesman for the St. Lucie County sheriff's office, said the accident happened at a state road west of Fort Pierce. Truck driver Frank Short, 49, traveling home to Titusville on Interstate 95, said he saw the overturned van and bodies in the road. ``They were just scattered everywhere,'' he said. An eight-mile stretch of Interstate 95 was closed in the aftermath. 04/01/04 23:32 EST FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) - Family members brought photos of loved ones Friday to identify victims of a van crash that killed seven Mexican migrant workers. Police determined the driver did not have the appropriate license, and that the van, with 19 occupants, may have been overcrowded. Rosa Rodriguez-Garcia went to the coroner's office with an album of family photos for one victim, Jose Luis Garcia Pichardo, her brother-in-law. She said Garcia Pichardo came to Florida three years ago to work in the orange groves, and sent money home to his wife, 6-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son in San Geronimo, Mexico. ``They were very poor,'' Rodriguez-Garcia said in Spanish. ``He left early in the morning and returned home late to give the family money for food. It was difficult work.'' By late Friday, only two other victims had been identified: Jose R. Rodriguez and Juan Garcia. Their ages and hometowns were not available. Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Tim Frith said officials were working with family members and employer Circle H. Citrus to identify the other four victims, most of whom carried no identification. ``It's going to be a long, drawn-out process,'' Frith said. ``My understanding is some of these poor gentlemen are working here and don't know anyone. They're simply here to make money.'' The 12 injured workers were spread among five regional hospitals - including van driver Salvadore Leon, who was undergoing surgery Friday. His condition was not available. Four were in critical condition; another four remained hospitalized, and four had been released. Frith said authorities were investigating the responsibilities of Circle H. Citrus concerning the van, and of the driver. The cargo van normally seats 15, but investigators have not determined if modifications were made or how the passengers were seated. Leon also did not have the appropriate license for driving passengers for hire, Frith said. He said it was too early to determine whether any charges would be filed in the case. ``Obviously the load was a big factor in this crash,'' Frith said. A woman who answered the phone at the citrus company declined comment Friday and referred media calls to local law enforcement. Witnesses said the van was swerving in its lane and then crossed into the grassy median and rolled over four times, ejecting all 19 occupants. Lisa Butler, a lawyer and farmworker advocate, said crashes of the extended vans often occur because the vehicles are overloaded, making them unstable, difficult to steer and prone to blowouts. ``In farm work, this happens over and over on the job,'' said Butler, with the Farmworker Unit of Florida Rural Legal Services Inc. in Fort Myers. 04/02/04 22:04 EST |