USA ESTA Travel Pass News

On the 5th, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced guidelines significantly expanding its review discretion, allowing examiners to immediately dismiss immigration applications without issuing Requests for Evidence (RFE) or Notices of Intent to Deny (NOID) for cases where required documents are missing or eligibility is insufficient. These guidelines went into effect immediately upon the announcement.

They apply retroactively to all pending cases currently under review, as well as to newly filed applications. Previously, it was common practice to grant an opportunity to supplement missing documents via an RFE; however, going forward, applications may be dismissed without further action if complete documentation is not provided at the time of initial filing. In addition, USCIS has revised regulations to allow examiners to set response deadlines shorter than the previous maximum of 12 weeks at their discretion for certain cases where an RFE is issued and has eliminated the additional 14-day grace period previously provided for applications sent via international mail.

This measure is interpreted as an attempt to resolve processing delays by blocking fraudulent applications that seek to obtain temporary benefits, such as an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), by submitting incomplete documents, and by reducing unnecessary administrative waste. Accordingly, applicants preparing for permanent residency or visa changes and extensions are expected to ensure thorough preparation from the initial document submission stage, without missing a single detail.

A bill being pursued in the U.S. Congress to grant permanent residency opportunities to long-term immigrants, such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and H-1B visa holders, is drawing attention. On the 27th, Senator Alex Padilla, Ranking Democrat on the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, and Senate Democratic Majority Leader Dick Durbin jointly introduced an amendment to the immigration law that would grant eligibility to apply for permanent residency to immigrants who have resided in the U.S. for seven years or more.

Thirteen Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Andy Kim, have listed their names as co-sponsors of this bill. Additionally, Representative Joy Lofgren is pursuing a related bill with the same intent in the House of Representatives. Under Section 249 of the current Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA), the Secretary of Homeland Security is authorized to grant permanent residency opportunities to individuals who have resided in the United States for a certain period and meet specific conditions. However, this provision, enacted in 1929, has not been changed for approximately 40 years since the 1986 Immigration Reform Act amended the eligibility criteria to “entries made before January 1, 1972.”

Consequently, obtaining permanent residency through this provision is effectively impossible. The bill promoted by Representative Padilla and others aims to amend the requirements of this provision to grant permanent residency opportunities to immigrants who meet criteria, such as having resided in the United States for at least seven years and having no criminal record. In particular, instead of fixing the eligibility criteria to a specific date, the bill changes the rule to recognize eligibility if an individual has resided in the U.S. for at least seven years as of the time of application, thereby avoiding the need for Congress to cumbersomely re-amend the law in the future. If the bill is finally passed, it is estimated that more than 8 million people will become eligible to apply for permanent residency, including DACA recipients and Dreamers who came to the U.S. as children and grew up, refugees, children of long-term visa holders at risk of deportation, essential workers, and highly skilled workers such as H-1B visa holders.

The bill is supported by more than 30 civic organizations, including the National Association of Korean American Service and Education Organizations (NAKASEC). However, the bill faces significant political hurdles in the U.S. Congress. With Republicans holding a majority in both the Senate and the House, and severe partisan conflict surrounding immigration policy, the process of passing the bill is bound to be arduous.

The number of undocumented Korean immigrants in the United States, which had been showing a steady decline, is estimated to have reversed course and surpassed 140,000. According to the latest estimates provided exclusively to this newspaper on the 30th by the non-profit think tank Migration Policy Institute (MPI), the number of undocumented Korean nationals in the U.S. is projected to reach 142,000 as of mid-2024. This represents a staggering 22% surge compared to the 2023 estimate of 116,000 undocumented Korean immigrants.

Until now, the number of undocumented Korean immigrants across the U.S. had been on a continuous downward trend since peaking at 192,000 in 2013. Looking at yearly trends, the number steadily declined from 173,000 in 2019 to 116,000 last year, but it has shown a sharp rebound this year, surpassing the 140,000 mark again. However, the institute did not disclose the specific reasons behind the sudden resurgence in the number of undocumented Korean immigrants in this survey.

Meanwhile, according to the “Analysis Report on the Status of Undocumented Immigrants in the U.S. as of 2024,” officially released by the MPI on the 29th, the total number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. is currently estimated at 15.8 million, a record high. The institute analyzed that the explosive increase in the total number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. was caused by a combination of factors: a record surge in the influx of immigrants through the southern U.S.-Mexico border during the Joe Biden administration, coupled with the federal government’s extensive implementation of humanitarian temporary entry permit programs to alleviate unrest in border regions.

In particular, the study found that the number of undocumented immigrants from Latin American countries who crossed the border directly increased most significantly during this period. [Reported on page A3 of this newspaper’s July 30 issue] Although the detailed country-specific statistics tables in the official report recently released to the public did not include specific figures regarding Korean nationals, at the special request of this newspaper, the MPI separately extracted the status of undocumented Korean immigrants from its internal data and provided it to this newspaper as the final result.

Since the launch of the second Trump administration, processing times for legal immigration procedures, such as permanent residency renewals and citizenship applications, have noticeably lengthened, leading to growing inconvenience and anxiety among immigrants, including Koreans. Analysts attribute these delays to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) significantly strengthening FBI background checks and security screenings.

While permanent residency renewals (I-90) and citizenship applications (N-400) were often processed within four to six months in the past, there have recently been a series of cases taking seven months to over a year. A Korean permanent resident, identified as Mr. K, applied for a renewal last December but has not received his new card even now, seven months later. He stated, “Renewals used to be completed in about three to four months, but this time, there has been no progress for well over half a year.” Citizenship applicants are facing a similar situation.

Another Korean applicant who applied for citizenship last October stated that they had not even been notified of an interview schedule for nine months, remarking, “The processing speed seems to have definitely slowed down compared to before.” The immigration industry attributes this phenomenon to the Trump administration’s strengthened security screening policies. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently issued internal guidelines to expand FBI background checks for most immigration benefit applications, including permanent residency, citizenship, and asylum. In particular, it instructed that approval decisions be withheld even for applications where a background check had already been completed if a re-examination is required under the new standards.

This measure follows up on an executive order signed by President Trump last February. The executive order mandates that USCIS utilize the FBI’s criminal record database to the maximum extent permitted by law to more thoroughly verify applicants’ criminal histories and national security risks. Under the new guidelines, most immigration applications requiring fingerprint submission have become subject to stricter screening. This applies not only to permanent residency and citizenship applications but also to family petitions for U.S. citizens and permanent residents, as well as fiancé visa petitions. USCIS has decided not to issue approval decisions until the new security review is completed, while conversely, it can deny applications without further inquiry for cases where grounds for denial are clear.

The enhanced review is known to cross-verify not only U.S. criminal records but also criminal history from the country of origin, past immigration records, and instances of misrepresentation. There are also predictions that processing times may be further extended for some applicants as additional security reviews are conducted. USCIS explained, “Some processing delays may occur during the application of the new verification procedures, but this is a temporary phenomenon,” adding that it is “a measure for the safety of U.S. citizens and national security.” However, immigration lawyers are concerned that delays could be prolonged as large-scale re-verification operations are added to the already backlogged USCIS review system.

Attorney Jeon Jong-jun explained, “In the past, permanent residency renewals or citizenship applications were often completed within about six months, but now it is not uncommon to see cases taking nearly a year.” He added, “The biggest reason is that the background check and fingerprint verification procedures have become much stricter than before.” The immigration industry advises that since strengthened background check policies are highly likely to remain in place, immigrants planning to renew their permanent residency or apply for citizenship need to consider important schedules in advance—such as overseas travel, employment, or renewing driver’s licenses or identification—and check the progress frequently with ample time.

It has been revealed that the number of monthly arrests of undocumented immigrants by the Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in June reached an all-time high. Tom Horman, White House Border Affairs Director, stated this in an interview with News Nation on the 23rd, saying, “With additional funding secured for ICE, we are pushing enforcement operations to deport undocumented immigrants even more aggressively.” Director Horman added, “Arrests of undocumented immigrants in July are taking place at a pace that surpasses last month,” suggesting the possibility of breaking the monthly record for the second consecutive month.

However, he did not provide specific figures for the number of arrests. In this regard, according to an analysis by Professor Austin Kosher of Syracuse University, the daily average number of arrests by ICE from July 1 to 11 was recorded at 1,474, already surpassing the 1,300 recorded last June.

This marks the fastest arrest rate since the launch of the second Trump administration. Conversely, the daily average number of deportations from April to July was approximately 1,256, failing to keep pace with the arrest rate. Consequently, the number of detainees continues to rise; as of the 11th of this month, the total number of ICE detainees reached 65,765, an increase from approximately 60,300 in early April.

According to Professor Kosher, immigrants with no criminal records currently make up the largest group among ICE detainees. While the proportion of detainees for simple immigration violations has increased, the proportion of immigrants suspected of crimes or with criminal records has decreased. Meanwhile, Border Commissioner Homan announced plans to expand the use of body cameras by ICE enforcement agents nationwide.

The area surrounding a famous restaurant in a large shopping mall in Cerritos, was thrown into turmoil after a man wielding a knife went on a rampage and was shot dead by another customer.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), at approximately 2p.m. on the 19^{th of} July a man armed with a knife entered Lucil’s Smokehouse BBQ, located on South Street in Cerritos, and threatened staff and diners. A customer present at the time, who was legally carrying a firearm, demanded that the man drop the knife. However, when the man lunged at the customer while still holding the knife, the customer fired their weapon.

According to the LASD, the man who was shot received emergency medical treatment at the scene but ultimately succumbed to his injuries. The customer who fired the shots remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation. Preliminary police investigations indicate that the incident began before the man entered the restaurant. LASD officials stated that it appears the man drove away in a stolen truck, abandoned it, inflicted self-harm with a weapon at a Starbucks near South Street, and then headed to a restaurant.

Magali Zakarias, a witness working nearby, told ABC7 in an interview that she saw the man driving recklessly before running into the restaurant. “The driver drove recklessly into the shopping centre, abandoned the car, and ran toward Lucilles,” Zakarias said. “He was holding a knife and appeared to be already injured.” She added, “When I looked closely at the vehicle, there was blood on the steering wheel and all over the interior.”

A restaurant employee stated, “I saw a man who appeared to have slit his throat running into the restaurant holding a knife. He entered the main dining area where customers were, aimed a gun at another customer, and fired when the man continued to walk toward him despite being told to put the knife down.”

Multiple police officers responded to the scene, and the area around the restaurant, located in a large shopping centre near the 605 Freeway, was cordoned off while the investigation was conducted. Police questioned witnesses and restaurant staff. According to the LASD, an off-duty officer was also present at the scene and witnessed the shooting but did not fire a gun himself.

Police have not released the identity of the man killed in the shooting, nor have they revealed the exact motive for the crime or why he headed to the restaurant after self-inflicting wounds with a weapon. It was confirmed that the customer who fired the shots possessed a valid concealed carry permit. Police are investigating the exact circumstances of the incident with this customer.

The yield on 30-year U.S. Treasury bonds continues its upward trajectory.

According to Bloomberg data, the 30-year U.S. Treasury yield has exceeded 5% on 27 trading days this year, accounting for 19% of total trading days. Notably, it has surpassed 5% for 12 consecutive trading days recently. This marks the longest period the 30-year Treasury yield has remained above 5% since the 2007 financial crisis.

In 2007, long-term interest rates also exceeded 5% for 50 consecutive trading days. However, since the benchmark interest rate is currently 1.5 percentage points lower than it was then, the rates felt by the market are much higher.

Analysts attribute these high long-term rates to the deterioration of government finances and the increased issuance of corporate bonds by private companies to build artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure.

Tony Rodriguez, Head of Bond Strategy at Nuveen Asset Management, stated, “The biggest factors driving up long-term rates are massive national debt and fiscal deficits.”

Since 2007, the size of the U.S. Treasury bond market has surged from $4.5 trillion to $31 trillion.

During the same period, the ratio of public national debt to U.S. GDP also doubled, surpassing 100%. Annual interest costs alone exceed $1 trillion.

International credit rating agency Fitch recently warned that “the U.S. debt burden is significantly higher than that of other countries with the same AA rating.”

The massive issuance of corporate bonds by private companies to secure funds for AI infrastructure investment is also pushing up bond yields.

Alex Payne, Senior Portfolio Manager at Vanguard Capital Management, stated, “Pension funds and insurers, the primary buyers of 30-year bonds, now have a wider range of options than before,” but added that he could not be certain whether interest rates have reached their peak.

Rodriguez of Nuveen also remarked, “Governments, hyperscalers, and corporations are all competing to secure investors in the long-term bond market.”

Kevin Flanagan, Head of Investment Strategy at WisdomTree, pointed out, “Fiscal deficits, existing debt, and the potential for increased government bond issuance in the future are all factors to consider when evaluating long-term bond yields.”

Unlike the significant rise in long-term bond yields, yields on mid-to-mid-term bonds with maturities of 2 to 10 years remain at levels seen in early 2025.

This is because, despite the increased likelihood of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike, investors have flocked to short-term instruments, which they consider relatively safer.

Hank Smith, Chief Investment Strategy Officer at Haverford Trust, said that investors have been concerned about national debt for the past 20 years, adding, “Tax-exempt clients do not invest in long-term bonds with maturities of 10 years or more because the risk-reward ratio does not match.”

With a heatwave forecast and Seattle’s daytime high temperatures surpassing 90 degrees on the 15th, a tragic accident occurred at Lake Sammamish in Issaquah, where a teenage girl drowned. This marks the second drowning accident at the lake this summer. The girl died on the afternoon of the 14th while spending time with her family near Sunset Beach in Lake Sammamish State Park.

According to the Eastside Fire & Rescue Service, the girl was walking along a shallow path leading toward Otel Island outside the designated swimming area when she suddenly entered deep water. The family called 911 around 4:30 p.m., reporting that their daughter was missing. Fire authorities reported that the girl’s whereabouts remained unknown for about 10 minutes, leaving the family in a state of extreme anxiety. Rescue teams arrived at the scene seven minutes after the call, and four divers immediately began a search.

The rescue team found the girl underwater and performed emergency measures, including CPR, but ultimately could not save her. Authorities are currently investigating the exact cause of the drowning. However, the family suggested that the girl may have entered a much deeper section than expected and raised the possibility of a sudden drop-off. Lake Sammamish is a popular summer vacation spot, but it is also known for recurring drowning accidents every year.

On June 5, a 35-year-old man drowned there as well. Experts are urging extreme caution, warning that lakes and rivers in the Pacific Northwest remain very cold even with high temperatures. The explanation is that cold water can instantly cause muscle cramps and hypothermia, putting even skilled swimmers at risk. Fire authorities presented safety guidelines, including: always wearing a life jacket; refraining from swimming after drinking alcohol or taking drugs; notifying others of your entry and exit routes; ensuring an adult always supervises children; and not entering the water if water conditions are uncertain.

Catherine Imboden, a spokesperson for the Eastside Fire & Rescue Service, emphasized, “If someone disappears or goes out of sight in the water, you must call 911 immediately,” adding, “A few minutes make the difference between life and death. In rescue operations, just a few minutes are critical.”

On the 12th, President Donald Trump claimed that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to civilian vessels, stating that the U.S. had carried out a very powerful airstrike against Iran for attacking civilian ships in the strait. This rejected the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)’s claim to re-block the strait. In telephone interviews with NBC and CNN on the same day, President Trump said, “We attacked them (Iran) very hard last night,” and “Hormuz is open. We bombed them mercilessly last night.”

The attack against Iran mentioned by President Trump refers to the airstrike carried out the previous day by the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) against Iranian air and ground surveillance radars, missile and drone depots, missile and drone launch bases, and surface-to-air missile launchers. This was a response to the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacking a Cypriot-flagged container ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz at 7:15 p.m. Eastern Time the previous day, marking the third instance of U.S. airstrikes against Iran in the past week.

In a phone interview, President Trump fiercely condemned Iran, calling them “really evil and crazy.” He continued, “We had our last meeting with them. They agreed to an agreement yesterday, and that was a perfect agreement for us,” adding, “It was no nuclear weapons, no one here and no one there.” President Trump further claimed, “They gave up everything, and then we walked out of the meeting room, but less than an hour later, they launched drones and dispatched ships,” stating, “So I said, ‘You are crazy. You are crazy.'”

These remarks by President Trump explain that U.S. airstrikes resumed because Iran attacked a civilian vessel passing through the strait again, despite negotiations and repeated agreements reached the previous day regarding the termination of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Iran and the situation that triggered the recent armed clashes between the two sides.

Intensive drunk driving crackdowns are taking place across New York and New Jersey during the Independence Day holiday weekend. According to the New York State Police, checkpoints will be set up on public roads and highways throughout the state until July 5, when the holiday weekend ends.

The crackdown will target not only drunk driving but also various other driving offenses, including driving without a license, using a cell phone while driving, unregistered vehicles, and bus lane violations. In particular, the plan involves setting up checkpoints at major roads and deploying a large number of police cars disguised as civilian vehicles to identify drunk drivers and speeding vehicles.

New York City is also deploying more police forces than usual during this period to conduct a large-scale crackdown on drunk drivers. The Bergen County Police Department in New Jersey also plans to set up checkpoints throughout all national roads, including highway exits, during this period to crack down on drunk driving and prevent accidents, aiming to identify illegal drivers. Meanwhile, New York State conducted drunk driving enforcement during last year’s Independence Day holiday weekend, indicting 1,563 drivers on charges of negligent driving and issuing 49,843 traffic violation tickets.