Posted to ABC News7 on:
6:23 pm Thu May 01, 2008 - MANASSAS, Va.
Prince William County (webnews) supervisors have made a key change to the county's illegal immigration policy, considered one of the most aggressive in the nation.
The board decided late Tuesday to direct police officers to question criminal suspects about their immigration status only after they have been arrested.
In October, the board directed police to check the residency status of anyone who is detained, no matter how minor the offense, if they believe the person might in the United States illegally.
Republican Supervisor Martin Nohe said Tuesday that the change in the illegal-immigration policy will limit the county's risk of a lawsuit.
Supervisors supported the change after cutting $3.1 million from the county's budget that would have funded video cameras in police cars to enforce the policy. Police had wanted the cameras to protect officers from allegations of racial profiling.
The change came before the board approved a fiscal 2009 budget of $893 million.
Prince William supervisors revisited the illegal immigration policy after Democratic Supervisor Frank Principi last week expressed concern about overly harsh enforcement.
Tuesday, he proposed a change that would have directed police to question a person's immigration status only after they have been arrested and taken to jail. He was the only supervisor to support it.
More than 100 people addressed the board for more than five hours Tuesday regarding both budget and immigration matters. Some asked the board to keep the illegal-immigration policy intact, while others urged supervisors to limit it.
"If [people] enter our country illegally, they should be deported, whether they are a criminal or not," said Walter Menz of Woodbridge.
Ruth Hellwig, a 45-year resident of Woodbridge, said, "it's dividing neighbor against neighbor ... even the children are discriminating against one another in the school system."
Showing posts with label Tomasz Zalewski. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tomasz Zalewski. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
HOPE FOR HOMEOWNER ACT OF 2008
Hello Everyone,If you have questions about the new bail out from the government, here are some questions and answers:
Questions and answers about the Hope for Homeowners Act of 2008, passed by Congress last weekend to try to steer as many as 400,000 struggling homeowners away from foreclosure:
Q: What exactly will the legislation do?
A: It will allow those who qualify to cancel their old mortgage loans and replace them with 30-year fixed-rate loans for up to 90 percent of the home's current value. The FHA will insure a total of $300 billion of the loans over a three-year period.But the decision on whether to write such a loan remains up to banks, which would have to be willing to take a loss on the existing loans in exchange for avoiding an often-costly foreclosure.
Q: Who is eligible?
A: Eligible borrowers must have spent more than 31 percent of their monthly incomes on their mortgages as of March 1, 2008. The troubled loan must have originated no later than Jan. 1, 2008, and be on the borrower's primary residence. And the borrower's income must be verified.
Q: When does the program start?
A: It takes effect Oct. 1 and runs through September 2011, although the FHA isn't likely to have it operating at full capacity until next year.
Q: Since lenders can pick and choose which loans to refinance, how can consumers determine if theirs will be selected?
A: Check with the bank or financial company servicing your mortgage, but it may be weeks before they make decisions concerning the new guidelines and assess individual loans.Even then, keep expectations limited."Servicers are going to be reluctant to take the government up on their offer," predicted Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com. "The earliest they'll start taking them up on it is early next year. And even then it's likely to be modest."
Q: Is there anything a homeowner can do to improve chances of benefiting from the program, such as crunching numbers to make a case for the bank?
A: Not really. The best step is to keep up your payments as best you can.
Q: But doesn't this provide an incentive to NOT pay your mortgage, if you're barely keeping ahead of bills and are underwater on your house, so you can qualify?
A: No. If your situation deteriorates enough, the bank may reject any possible new loan."Turning yourself into a financial basket case is not going to work," said Dan Seiver, a finance professor at San Diego State University. "If you turn into a complete deadbeat, the servicer is going to just foreclose and dump it."
Q: So what should I be doing now besides trying to keep up with payments?
A: Talk to a local credit counselor and call the toll-free hot line of the Hope Now alliance — an industry group trying to coordinate a response to the mortgage crisis — at 1-888-995-HOPE. It is available 24 hours a day to provide mortgage counseling in multiple languages. Mary Thomason, director of resource development for The Impact Group of Atlanta, a housing counseling group, also suggests tracking expenses and income closely in order to be able to forecast your cash flow for the next six months and give yourself better control of your finances.
Q: If the banks and lenders refuse to write these loans, then what?
A: Public and political pressure may prompt them to participate. If not, and more people continue to lose their homes, Zandi says the next White House administration subject them to additional regulations or investigations if they remain unwilling to take on the risks.
Q: What happens if I'm able to sell my home after I refinance?
A: If you sell during the next five years, you must agree to share 50 percent of any profits from the resale with the government. What's more, homeowners can only retain equity gains based on a sliding scale. The homeowner would have zero equity from a sale in the first year, with the amount rising 10 percent in each succeeding year and capping at 50 percent from a sale in year five and thereafter. The equity must be repaid because the maximum amount on the new loans will be capped at 90 percent of the current market value, which automatically gives the previously troubled homeowner 10 percent equity in the home.
Q: Where can consumers find more detailed information about the plan?
A: There is a six-page summary of the housing act at http://banking.senate.gov/public/_files/HousingandEconomicRecoveryActSummary.pdf and the FHA's Web site at http://www.fha.gov is a place to watch for updated information. The entire 694-page bill is at http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/financialsvcs_dem/hr3221_bill_text.pdf
Questions and answers about the Hope for Homeowners Act of 2008, passed by Congress last weekend to try to steer as many as 400,000 struggling homeowners away from foreclosure:
Q: What exactly will the legislation do?
A: It will allow those who qualify to cancel their old mortgage loans and replace them with 30-year fixed-rate loans for up to 90 percent of the home's current value. The FHA will insure a total of $300 billion of the loans over a three-year period.But the decision on whether to write such a loan remains up to banks, which would have to be willing to take a loss on the existing loans in exchange for avoiding an often-costly foreclosure.
Q: Who is eligible?
A: Eligible borrowers must have spent more than 31 percent of their monthly incomes on their mortgages as of March 1, 2008. The troubled loan must have originated no later than Jan. 1, 2008, and be on the borrower's primary residence. And the borrower's income must be verified.
Q: When does the program start?
A: It takes effect Oct. 1 and runs through September 2011, although the FHA isn't likely to have it operating at full capacity until next year.
Q: Since lenders can pick and choose which loans to refinance, how can consumers determine if theirs will be selected?
A: Check with the bank or financial company servicing your mortgage, but it may be weeks before they make decisions concerning the new guidelines and assess individual loans.Even then, keep expectations limited."Servicers are going to be reluctant to take the government up on their offer," predicted Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com. "The earliest they'll start taking them up on it is early next year. And even then it's likely to be modest."
Q: Is there anything a homeowner can do to improve chances of benefiting from the program, such as crunching numbers to make a case for the bank?
A: Not really. The best step is to keep up your payments as best you can.
Q: But doesn't this provide an incentive to NOT pay your mortgage, if you're barely keeping ahead of bills and are underwater on your house, so you can qualify?
A: No. If your situation deteriorates enough, the bank may reject any possible new loan."Turning yourself into a financial basket case is not going to work," said Dan Seiver, a finance professor at San Diego State University. "If you turn into a complete deadbeat, the servicer is going to just foreclose and dump it."
Q: So what should I be doing now besides trying to keep up with payments?
A: Talk to a local credit counselor and call the toll-free hot line of the Hope Now alliance — an industry group trying to coordinate a response to the mortgage crisis — at 1-888-995-HOPE. It is available 24 hours a day to provide mortgage counseling in multiple languages. Mary Thomason, director of resource development for The Impact Group of Atlanta, a housing counseling group, also suggests tracking expenses and income closely in order to be able to forecast your cash flow for the next six months and give yourself better control of your finances.
Q: If the banks and lenders refuse to write these loans, then what?
A: Public and political pressure may prompt them to participate. If not, and more people continue to lose their homes, Zandi says the next White House administration subject them to additional regulations or investigations if they remain unwilling to take on the risks.
Q: What happens if I'm able to sell my home after I refinance?
A: If you sell during the next five years, you must agree to share 50 percent of any profits from the resale with the government. What's more, homeowners can only retain equity gains based on a sliding scale. The homeowner would have zero equity from a sale in the first year, with the amount rising 10 percent in each succeeding year and capping at 50 percent from a sale in year five and thereafter. The equity must be repaid because the maximum amount on the new loans will be capped at 90 percent of the current market value, which automatically gives the previously troubled homeowner 10 percent equity in the home.
Q: Where can consumers find more detailed information about the plan?
A: There is a six-page summary of the housing act at http://banking.senate.gov/public/_files/HousingandEconomicRecoveryActSummary.pdf and the FHA's Web site at http://www.fha.gov is a place to watch for updated information. The entire 694-page bill is at http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/financialsvcs_dem/hr3221_bill_text.pdf
Monday, July 07, 2008
U.S. residents to be fingerprinted
U.S. residents to be fingerprinted
By Tomasz Zalewski, Super Express, 28 July 2006.
Translated from Polish by Ania Milewska.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that greencard holders – permanent U.S. residents – will be fingerprinted at U.S. borders each time they re-enter the country. The new law is to go into effect in a few months. Since January of 2004, fingerprints (taken with a scanner and not with ink) and digital photos of all foreigners, with the exception of Canadians and Mexicans, visiting the United States have been taken at U.S. borders under the U.S. Visit Program. Snaring unlawful residents So far, close to 61 million people have been processed to determine the validity of their visas, to search for criminal records or for suspicion of terrorism. Anna Hinken, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, stated that fingerprinting permanent U.S. residents (who are not yet citizens) will help identify people who are using false or stolen greencards, which are easily accessible in the black market. Annually, about a million greencard holders cross U.S. borders, entering or leaving the country. It is estimated that about 12 million U.S. residents are greencard holders. Is it discrimination? The announcement of the new regulations has sparked protests by several pro-immigrant organizations. They claim that fingerprinting is discriminatory and is reminiscent of the requirement implemented after the 9/11 attacks, which affected males from the Middle East and South Asia, who had to register with the immigration authorities after entering the United States.
This article appeared in Edition 233 of Voices That Must Be Heard.
Translation © 2006, IPA, all rights reserved. Included by permisson of Super Express.
By Tomasz Zalewski, Super Express, 28 July 2006.
Translated from Polish by Ania Milewska.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that greencard holders – permanent U.S. residents – will be fingerprinted at U.S. borders each time they re-enter the country. The new law is to go into effect in a few months. Since January of 2004, fingerprints (taken with a scanner and not with ink) and digital photos of all foreigners, with the exception of Canadians and Mexicans, visiting the United States have been taken at U.S. borders under the U.S. Visit Program. Snaring unlawful residents So far, close to 61 million people have been processed to determine the validity of their visas, to search for criminal records or for suspicion of terrorism. Anna Hinken, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, stated that fingerprinting permanent U.S. residents (who are not yet citizens) will help identify people who are using false or stolen greencards, which are easily accessible in the black market. Annually, about a million greencard holders cross U.S. borders, entering or leaving the country. It is estimated that about 12 million U.S. residents are greencard holders. Is it discrimination? The announcement of the new regulations has sparked protests by several pro-immigrant organizations. They claim that fingerprinting is discriminatory and is reminiscent of the requirement implemented after the 9/11 attacks, which affected males from the Middle East and South Asia, who had to register with the immigration authorities after entering the United States.
This article appeared in Edition 233 of Voices That Must Be Heard.
Translation © 2006, IPA, all rights reserved. Included by permisson of Super Express.
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