ALL H-1B VISAS USED UP ON FIRST DAY

"The annual limit for the controversial guest worker programme through the H1B visas, which help many Indian technology professionals to emigrate, has been filled for the whole fiscal year in record time, with the cap of 65,000 closing at the opening day itself," the India Express writes.

BUSH ADMINISTRATION WATERS DOWN HOSPITAL RULES

"The Bush administration on Friday backed off from a controversial proposal that would have required hospitals across the country to question patients about their citizenship status," Gannett News writes. "The federal rules were supposed to go into effect Friday in order for hospitals to receive payments under a new law that helps compensate hospitals for the cost of treating undocumented immigrants."

DUAL CITIZEN PROGRAM BY MEXICO RESUMES

"In July, the Mexican government resumed the dual-nationality program permanently after the original five-year measure ended last year," the Arizona Republic writes. "The measure, part of a trend that critics contend poses a potential political threat to the United States, could help hundreds of thousands of Mexican-born people and their children regain a host of rights, including owning property, inheriting property, voting and traveling to Mexico with a Mexican passport."

PROP. 200 UPDATE

An Arizona think-tank criticized Prop. 200 in a report released last week. " Proposition 200 seeks to prevent fraud and save taxpayer dollars by requiring verification of citizenship for public benefits. But ThinkAZ, a Phoenix-based research group, said the proposition could run into trouble because it does not define which public benefits would be affected," the Arizona Republic writes. "David Fernandez, 57, of the Sunnyslope neighborhood in Phoenix, said a more detailed explanation of public benefits might confuse voters, especially the elderly. Fernandez, a Democrat who is not involved in either side of the measure, said making sure public benefits are denied to undocumented immigrants is a sufficient way of describing the proposition's effect." The Republic says, "Randy Pullen, chairman of the Yes on Proposition 200 committee, said his group is already setting aside funds in preparation of a court challenge. Pullen, who called ThinkAZ a liberal think tank, said the measure could also end up in court if supporters feel they have to sue in order to push the government to enforce the voters' will."

The authors of the ThinkAZ study have a separate story in the Republic explaining their results.

In an editorial this weekend, the Republic editors try to spin away the massive fraud scandal at the Arizona DMV. "Rather than make the case for Proposition 200, the driver's license scandal makes the case for comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level."

Also over the weekend, the same old scare tactics that were used during the Prop. 187 campaign in California came back, this time with a warning in the Arizona Republic that Prop. 200 would increase disease transmission by illegal aliens. "Catherine Eden, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, said the measure would discourage undocumented immigrants from seeking medical care for fear of deportation. That could lead to increasing severity of outbreaks of communicable diseases, she said." [FAIR comment: If you see a warning from an Arizona public agency about Prop. 200 before the election, remember that it is most likely a politically motivated attack, inspired by Arizona's Governor who has mobilized the bureaucracy in an effort to defeat the popular initiative.]

Kathy McKee and Virginia Abernathy fire back at the Washington Times editors in separate letters over the weekend.

Mexico denied that it was going to sue to stop Prop. 200's implementation. "The Mexican Embassy in Washington denied a media report that Mexico will sue Arizona if voters approve Proposition 200, but said Friday it is keeping a close eye on the referendum."

Time Magazine reports that Democratic canvassers in Arizona have been told not to discuss Prop. 200 unless asked. The reason? "Many of Arizona's Latino families - one-quarter of the state's population - have lived there for generations and are unhappy with undocumented workers who drive down wages."

350 IN CUSTODY; PRE-ELECTION SEARCH CONTINUES FOR POSSIBLE TERROR SUSPECTS

"More than 350 people who have committed crimes or are suspected of terrorist links have been arrested in a federal crackdown on foreigners with visa violations, part of a broader effort to prevent al-Qaeda from disrupting U.S. elections," the AP writes. "The stepped-up initiative is one of many government efforts given urgency by persistent intelligence indicating al-Qaeda is determined to attack inside the United States before the Nov. 2 election. The FBI has conducted more than 13,000 interviews this year to gather intelligence about the potential plot, with more to come. Special attention is being paid to the hunt for immigration violators because some hijackers involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks violated visa terms."