2008 - ILW PERM
The ILW PERM Book II, to be published in 2008, will feature an article written by Susan Brady titled Domestic Workers: At Home and on the Range as part of its collection of thorough materials designed to provide valuable guidance for any type of PERM issue.

November 18, 2008
Kevin Lashus made a presentation at the AGC in Dallas' Cowboy Golf Club (Grapevine) entitled, "Anatomy of a Raid: Agriprocessors from the Government Perspective--from raids to no-match."

September 24, 2008
Kevin Lashus participated in the Constitution Celebration Debate hosted by Austin Community College at the Webberville Campus. During the debate, Mr. Lashus served as an expert on national security law in light of the Fourth Amendment.

September 21, 2008
Kevin Lashus was quoted in California Executive’s article, “Controversial Employee-Screening System Raises Eyebrows.” In the article, Mr. Lashus discusses the unfair burden E-Verify places on employers and newly hired employees who receive erroneous mismatches. An employee who has gone through the long process of becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen, who is now authorized to work, is instead waiting in line to have information corrected and is unable to be working in the meantime. This investigation is costly to employers and raises legitimate discrimination claims. Mr. Lashus also predicted that the current voluntary E-Verify program would be renewed for another five years and that the Senate will likely consider making E-Verify mandatory for all employers.

September 9, 2008
Kevin Lashus was interviewed by California Executive for its article “Immigration Officials Answer Questions About Authorization System.” Mr. Lashus described to the online publication that E-Verify is flawed, because naturalized citizens whose data has not been updated within the databases of USCIS and/or the Social Security Administration may trigger a tentative non-confirmation. This discrepancy could lead to discrimination claims, as naturalized citizens are part of a protected minority group.

September 2008
Robert F. Loughran was quoted as the immigration expert for the article “Recruiting in the World of ICE,” published by Workforce Management Online. Mr. Loughran explained that ICE’s common strategy now is to aim at recruiters, managers, and executives as conspirators in hiring unauthorized workers. ICE may launch investigations after merely receiving a tip from a disgruntled employee or competitor company which may turn into as many as 20 different criminal and civil sanctions for the these people in upper-level positions. Mr. Loughran also warned that the highest risk of ICE investigations now involves outside vendor contracts, pointing to the example of Wal-Mart paying $11 million in 2005 to settle a claim that it was responsible for immigration law violations stemming from its contract with a cleaning vendor that used unauthorized workers.

September 2008
Robert F. Loughran was quoted in the "Don't be 'ICE'd'" article printed in Food Engineering, reflecting on the magnitude of recent worksite immigration raids in the food and beverage industries and how these raids are indicative of ICE's approach to enforce immigration laws by targeting employers.

August 29, 2008
Robert F. Loughran was interviewed by Workforce Management (www.workforce.com), an online publication and database for human resources executives and recruiting directors, on the subject of employers' responsibilities under current federal and state immigration requirements.

August 28, 2008
Robert F. Loughran offered his immigration expertise to the Texas Lawyer Labor & Employment Law Roundtable. During the session, Mr. Loughran discussed employers' responsibilities in preparing for the possibility of worksite raids, the President's Executive Order mandating E-Verify for federal government contracts, and the prospects for employment verification legislation from the Texas legislature in the coming session.

August 25, 2008
Robert F. Loughran and Kevin Lashus presented workplace compliance and enforcement issues as part of the Texas Employers for Immigration Reform's North Texas Immigration Summit: A Forum for Employers held in Irving, Texas. The discussion included hiring practices, self-audits, workplace concerns, interactions with ICE, and other issues of immigration concern for employers.

August 22, 2008
Robert F. Loughran and Kevin Lashus presented the Anatomy of an ICE Raid and led a roundtable discussion on E-Verify, the Government's electronic verification of employment eligibility program, at the 2008 Annual Austin Human Resources Management Association (AHRMA) Conference: Juggling HR Issues. Tindall & Foster also presented at an immigration roundtable to provide further assistance on immigration issues to HR professionals.

July 18, 2008
Kevin Lashus and Vinh Trieu presented to the Associated General Contractors of Texas' annual administrative conference in South Padre Island, Texas.

July 15, 2008
Kevin Lashus presented to the Associate General Contractors of Texas' South and West Texas' division's monthly meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

June 26, 2008 – Houston Chronicle
Kevin Lashus (Austin) was quoted in the Houston Chronicle for an article discussing recent immigration raids in Houston, Texas. The article, entitled “Employer arrests could follow Houston immigration raids,” focuses on the possible criminal liability of Action Rags U.S.A. and Shipley Do-Nuts, two companies that were recently raided based on the suspicion they were employing a large number of undocumented workers. Mr. Lashus, who is a former prosecutor for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, explained that one of the reasons ICE was launching these raids was to “force employers to reconsider their employment verification policies.”

June 24, 2008
Kevin Lashus was quoted in an article published on FoodBusinessNews.net titled, "President orders contractors to verify the legal status of employees: Those doing business with the government must use E-Verify to determine eligibility." In the article, Mr. Lashus discussed how President Bush's executive order requiring the use of E-Verify is consistent with the recent stepped-up efforts to enforce current laws, in part as a substitute for failed comprehensive reform in Congress.

June 19, 2008
Robert F. Loughran was one of three speakers who gave a one-hour presentation to the Austin Human Resource Management Association as part of a program entitled “Navigating the Immigration Maze.”
The presentation included a detailed look at the recently updated Department of Homeland Security ("DHS") regulations on Social Security "no-match" letters; the DHS's renewed push to enroll employers in the E-Verify program; and the most recent wave of arrests of human resource employees by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The presentation also included practical advice on how to ensure immigration compliance without incurring liability for citizenship or national origin discrimination; an overview of the problems presented by the annual limitation on H-1Bs (the “H-1B Cap”); a discussion on solutions for employing foreign national employees who are unable to secure H-1Bs because of the H-1B Cap by detailing alternatives to the H-1B; and a break down of the potential ways to bridge gaps in work authorization caused by the H-1B Cap.

June 12, 2008
Maggie Murphy (Austin, Texas) gave a presentation to the Women’s Executive Forum in downtown Austin, Texas. The presentation covered employment-based immigrant visa options and compliance issues.

June 2008
Ashima Duggal was a panel speaker at the Hugh O' Brian Youth Leadership conference (2008) on the topic of improvements and viewpoints on the current immigration system.

May 30, 2008
Corina Farias (Austin, Texas) was the featured speaker at an event of the Chamber of Commerce. She spoke to international business owners regarding non-immigrant and immigrant visa options, with a special emphasis on Mexican investors. The seminar, entitled “Pasaporte al Exito: Estrategias Claves Inmigratorias de los EE.UU. para el 2008 y en Adelante” focused on long-term and short-term immigration options for Mexican companies (in Spanish).

May 28, 2008
Corina Farias (Austin, Texas) was interviewed by Univision in connection with the unlawful reentry after removal in Austin and throughout the country (in Spanish).

May 15, 2008
Kevin Lashus presented to the Austin Contractors and Engineers Association Presentation at its monthly meeting in Austin, Texas.

May 13, 2008
Robert F. Loughran and Ryan Chargois delivered a presentation entitled “Compliance with Evolving Global Immigration Laws” at the 17th Annual Gulf Coast Symposium on Human Resources Issues at the Reliant Center in Houston, Texas.

May 8, 2008 – AILA Seminar
Angelique Montano (Houston, TX) spoke to immigration practitioners as a panel member in a seminar hosted by the American Immigration Lawyers Association. The seminar, entitled “Advanced Ability to Pay,” focused on advanced legal issues facing companies that must demonstrate an ability to pay immigrant workers as part of the labor certification process. The panel discussed several issues, including practices and procedures of processing service centers, identification of relevant assets, and presentation of secondary evidence.

May 6, 2008 – Express-News
Robert F. Loughran and Kevin Lashus (Austin, TX) quoted extensively in Express-News article “U.S. immigration raids are about to get ugly.” The article focuses on the federal government’s increase in worksite enforcement and its use of Social Security “No Match” Letters to compel employers to inquire further regarding an employees authorization to work in the U.S. While the “No Match” program has been temporarily suspended by court order, reconsideration by the trial court or reversal by an appellate court could authorize the release of the letters with the government's burden shifting, and result in an even more worksite raids resulting in greater employer liability based on the premise that employers, by receiving the letters, have “ constructive knowledge” that certain workers may be unauthorized to work in the U.S.

April 21, 2008
Magali S. Candler was interviewed by Telemundo in connection with the increased worksite enforcement in Houston and throughout the country (in Spanish).

April 18, 2008
Magali S. Candler made a continuing legal education presentation on Ethical Issues in VAWA Representation to volunteer attorneys at the Catholic Charities VAWA Representation Seminar in Houston.

April 18, 2008 - State Bar Committee Meeting in El Paso
Robert F. Loughran met with policy makers and implementers from the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security to review current procedures, practices, and timelines at federal immigration offices. The meeting, held in El Paso, Texas, also provided Mr. Loughran an opportunity to provide feedback on current practices and future government initiatives. Mr. Loughran participated as a representative of the Texas State Bar Committee on Laws Relating to Immigration and Nationality.

April 17, 2008
Faye M. Kolly was interviewed on Univision in Austin, Texas regarding the impact of local Immigration and Custom's Enforcement raids on the local community.

April 17, 2007
Faye M. Kolly made a testimony before a State House committee on HB 2869 relating to the issue of driver's licenses and identification cards for foreign nationals residing in the State of Texas.

April 17, 2008 - NPR Interview
Robert F. Loughran and Kevin Lashus were interviewed by Jennifer Luddon of National Public Radio on Thursday. Mr. Loughran discussed the current state of immigration-related employer sanctions resulting from government enforcement and his experience representing companies charged with violations of immigration laws. Mr. Lashus discussed his previous experience representing ICE in its prosecution of companies accused of violating immigration laws relating to employment.

April 17, May 15, and June 5, 2008 - ILW PERM Seminar
Robert F. Loughran invited to be the Discussion Leader for the 2008 ILW Seminar “Solving PERM Practice Problems,” a three-part series with sessions on April 17, May 15, and June 5, 2008. This comprehensive workshop covers legal considerations for advanced immigration practitioners regarding PERM regulations, case law, guidelines, and expectations, and their collective impact on labor certification practices.

April 11, 2008
Susan Brady presented on “Hot Issues in PERM” as a panel member at the semi-annual conference for the Texas/New Mexico/Oklahoma Chapter of the American Association of Immigration Lawyers in Kerrville, Texas. Ms. Brady updated the experienced immigration practitioners in attendance on centralized filings, the new 9089 Form (Application for Permanent Employment Certification), the spike in government audits of labor certifications, and pre-audit strategies.

April 3, 2008
Magali S. Candler attended the American Immigration Lawyers Association National Day of Action, as a team leader for the Texas delegation, and was slotted to meet with Kay Bailey Hutchison's office, as well as Ron Paul's, Nick Lampson's, Michael Burgess', Louie Gohmert's offices, to advocate for additional H-1 B visas and comprehensive immigration reform.

April 2008 - CNNMoney.com
Robert F. Loughran was interviewed by CNN Money's Eilene Zimmerman regarding the numerical cap for H-1B visas for foreign nationals in specialty occupations.

March 2008
Charles C. Foster was interviewed on AM 740 radio and Azteca.

March 28, 2008 - Austin Business Journal
Robert F. Loughran was interviewed by Austin Business Journal for an article concerning the increase in firm work in anticipation of the upcoming deadline for H-1B visa petitions for foreign skilled workers in specialty occupations.

March 28, 2008
Magali S. Candler was interviewed by Univision on the H-1B deadline.

March 25, 2008
Ryan C. Chargois presented "Immigration Issues for Businesses in China" as part of the Modern Business Management in China seminar hosted in San Antonio by The International Trade Center, Free Trade Alliance San Antonio and UTSA COB Liu's Family Foundation.

March 24, 2008
Kevin Lashus was interviewed by News 8 Austin for a video segment on “Burden shift to employers ensure legal workers.” The station also offered a print version of the story on its website.

March 22, 2008
Karen Katz Feldman was interviewed by Univision on the issue of Social Security No-Match Regulations.

March 22, 2008 - NBC-KXAN
Robert F. Loughran was interviewed on-air by Austin NBC affiliate KXAN regarding the federal government’s "No-Match" Program. The program, which is being used by the federal government as a tool for immigration enforcement, is designed to put employers on notice that information provided in an employee’s W-2 form does not match records held by the Social Security Administration.

March 18, 2007
Faye M. Kolly made a testimony before House Committee on Border and International Affairs Committee on HB 1989 the issuance of Secure driver's licenses and identification cards for foreign nationals residing in the State of Texas.

March 14, 2008
Tindall & Foster, P.C. was recognized in a question and answer series of the Houston Business Journal as a solution for companies with an international workforce who wish to develop a strategy to manage immigration visas.

March 13, 2008
Karen Katz Feldman and Susan Brady made a presentation to the Associated General Contractors of Texas on "Employer Sanctions: What To Do If ICE Knocks on Your Door" in Houston.

March 7, 2008
Robert F. Loughran featured in an article published by Computerworld on the “gaming” of the H-1B lottery by businesses trying to bring skilled foreign workers to the United States. Specifically, Mr. Loughran predicted the government would pass regulations punishing companies that submitted multiple H-1B’s for the same foreign worker. Mr. Loughran's predictions were subsequently proved correct in a subsequent DHS press release the following week announcing the new policy.