FALDEF short documentary excerpt directed by Diane Paragas

( An excerpt from the FALDEF short documentary directed by Diane Paragas of Civilian Studios)

Over the course of the last three months Diane Paragas has been documenting candid interviews from FALDEF clients and Board Members. What started out as a public service announcement, has turned into a short documentary. A short preview will be shown today and the final product will be premiered at the "Night of Hope" benefit dinner on March 1.

            

Diane Paragas is an award-winning documentary film director and commercial director.  Her films have appeared on Showtime, BET, Discovery, MTV, Bravo and PBS. Paragas started her career in advertising then went on to work at MTV and for Discovery Asia.  Ms Paragas is also the founder and owner of NYC based Civilian Studios. She has directed award winning commercials for Fortune 500 companies and is repped by the prestigious Rascal Films. In 2012, Ms Paragas produced and directed the feature documentary Brooklyn Boheme which premiered in February on SHOWTIME networks. The documentary which was co-directed and co-produced with Nelson George celebrates the post-civil rights artistic movement of Fort Greene Brooklyn and features Spike Lee, Chris Rock, Rosie Perez and Saul Williams to name a few. Diane is a supporter of FALDEF and has lent her talent by offering to do a short documentary about the organization. She is currently working on her first feature film Yellow Rose.



FALDEF working to combat human trafficking between the Philippines and the USA

(L-R: Atty. Merit Salud, Atty. J.T. Mallonga, Loida Nicolas Lewis, Ambassador Harry K. Thomas, Jr., Dr. Angie Cruz, Atty. Patricia Astorga, Atty. Lindy Lachica)

The officers and supporters of the Filipino American Legal Defense & Education Fund, Inc. (FALDEF) met with the US Ambassador to the Philippines, Harry K. Thomas, Jr. on January 16, 2013, to discuss means and ways to combat human trafficking in the Philippines. The dinner event was hosted by community leader and FALDEF supported, Loida Nicolas Lewis.

Photo as twitted by Ambassado Thomas : 

Reporting human trafficking activities in your area is now just a text away: ABS-CBNnews

ABS-CBNnews.com

Posted at 01/25/2013 7:23 PM | Updated as of 01/25/2013 7:23 PM

MANILA, Philippines - Reporting human trafficking activities is your area is now just a text away.

The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) and Globe/Touch Mobile recently launched the short message service or SMS-based Action Line 1343 Against Human Trafficking.

The new service will respond to requests for assistance, inquiries and referrals involving suspected human trafficking activities.

The CFO said that the text-based 1343 Action Line is also deemed to fast-track the referral and follow-up of cases, efficiently direct immediate assistance to human trafficking victims and disseminate information on human trafficking through text messages.

Globe and Touch Mobile subscribers who want to know how to access the service can text  <1343(space)HELP> or <help(space)1343> then send to 1343 free of charge.

"It is hoped that by making 1343 Action Line available through texts, more cases of human trafficking will be reported and resolved," the CFO said.

Meanwhile, the 1343 call-based Actionline against Human Trafficking began operations in March 2011.

For 2012, a total of 7,762 calls were received from the Action Line involving 198 actual cases with 130 victims, 19 of which were minors.

Secretary Napolitano Announces Final Rule to Support Family Unity During Waiver Process

From USCIS.gov.

Released: Jan. 2, 2013
Contact: DHS Press Office, (202) 282-8010

WASHINGTON— Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today announced the posting of a final rule in the Federal Register that reduces the time U.S. citizens are separated from their immediate relatives (spouse, children and parents), who are in the process of obtaining visas to become lawful permanent residents of the United States under certain circumstances. The final rule establishes a process that allows certain individuals to apply for a provisional unlawful presence waiver before they depart the United States to attend immigrant visa interviews in their countries of origin. The process will be effective on March 4, 2013 and more information about the filing process will be made available in the coming weeks at www.uscis.gov.

“This final rule facilitates the legal immigration process and reduces the amount of time that U.S. citizens are separated from their immediate relatives who are in the process of obtaining an immigrant visa,” said Secretary Napolitano.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) received more than 4,000 comments in response to the April 2, 2012 proposed rule and considered all of them in preparing the final rule.  

“The law is designed to avoid extreme hardship to U.S. citizens, which is precisely what this rule achieves,” USCIS Director Mayorkas said. “The change will have a significant impact on American families by greatly reducing the time family members are separated from those they rely upon.”

Under current law, immediate relatives of U.S. citizens who are not eligible to adjust status in the United States to become lawful permanent residents must leave the U.S. and obtain an immigrant visa abroad. Individuals who have accrued more than six months of unlawful presence while in the United States must obtain a waiver to overcome the unlawful presence inadmissibility bar before they can return to the United States after departing to obtain an immigrant visa. Under the existing waiver process, which remains available to those who do not qualify for the new process, immediate relatives cannot file a waiver application until after they have appeared for an immigrant visa interview abroad and the Department of State has determined that they are inadmissible.

In order to obtain a provisional unlawful presence waiver, the applicant must be an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen, inadmissible only on account of unlawful presence, and demonstrate the denial of the waiver would result in extreme hardship to his or her U.S. citizen spouse or parent. USCIS will publish a new form, Form I-601A, Application for a Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver, for individuals to use when applying for a provisional unlawful presence waiver under the new process.

Under the new provisional waiver process, immediate relatives must still depart the United States for the consular immigrant visa process; however, they can apply for a provisional waiver before they depart for their immigrant visa interview abroad. Individuals who file the Form I-601A must notify the Department of State’s National Visa Center that they are or will be seeking a provisional waiver from USCIS. The new process will reduce the amount of time U.S. citizen are separated from their qualifying immediate relatives. Details on the process changes are available atwww.regulations.gov.