INSIDE Building up in the United States
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PRESORTED aUGUST 2016 STANDARD ® U.S. POSTAGE PAID MIAMI, FL PERMIT NO. 7315 Tel: (305) 238-2868 1-800-605-7516 [email protected] [email protected] We cover your world Vol. 27 No. 9 www.caribbeantoday.com THE MULTI AWARD WINNING NEWS MAGAZINE WITH THE LARGEST PROVEN CIRCULATION IN FLORIDA GUARANTEED ~ Caribbean nationals in the United States are growing increasingly worried over the mounting number of killings of unarmed males of color by white law enforcement officers. Some are stepping up efforts to prevent tragedy stemming from what they perceive as lingering racism in America, page 5. Caribbean nationals better get those citizenship applications in now if they qualify or get ready to shell out more in fees to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Fees for dozens of immigration applications are set to increase again by this fall, page 2. ~ The Antigua and Barbuda government says it has dismissed a proposal by the United States to end their long running dispute over Internet gaming and said Washington now owes the Caribbean nation in excess of $200 million, page 3. Election season is steadily INSIDE building up in the United States. News ......................................2 Arts/Entertainment ............12 Classifieds ..........................16 Local ballots are being cast this month in South Florida. The Feature ..................................7 Sports ..................................13 Election Fever ....................17 stakes are high for the large Viewpoint ..............................9 Local/FYI ..............................14 Back to School ..................20 Caribbean American communi - Health ..................................11 Food ......................................15 ty, especially in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, where several prime posts are being Read CaRibbean Today onLine aT CaRibbeanToday.Com contested, pages 17-19. 2 • CARIBBEAN TODAY • AUGUST 2016 Over 10,044,000 copies printed and delivered in 27 years NEWS PRICE HIKE: U.S. eyes fees increase for immigration services in 2016 Felicia J. Persaud this fall. new fee of $3,035 to recover learning permit; financial The U.S. Department of the full cost of processing the aid; employment; and Get those citizenship applica - Homeland Security recently Employment Based passport renewal. tions in now if you qualify or closed its comment period on Immigrant Visa, Fifth Family–based resi - get ready to shell out more in the proposed fee changes. The Preference (EB-5) Annual dency - The proposed fees to the United States fee increases could be steep in Certification of Regional rule also increases the Citizenship and Immigration some instance and minimal in Center, Form I-924A is pro - fees for Forms I-130 – Services (USCIS). others. posed. Petition for Alien Fees for more than three For instance, an applica - Other proposed fee Relative – by 27 percent dozen immigration applica - tion for a fiancé visa, could changes are as follows: and I-485, Application to now increase by $195 and one Citizenship - Fees for nat - Register Permanent tions are set to go up again by The cost to become American rising. Residence or Adjust uralization or citizenship Status, by 16 percent. applications could also Under the current fee increase. The USCIS has pro - schedule, the total of filing posed a three-level fee for the fees for a one-step, concurrent Application for Naturalization filing of Form I-130, Form I- (N-400). Under the proposed 485, Form I-765 – Application rule, the standard filing fee for for Employment Form N-400 would increase by Authorization and Form I-131 eight percent (from $595 to – Application for Travel $640). Document – is $1,490. Under But for Forms N-600 and the proposed fee schedule, the N-600K, Application for total fees would be $1,760. Certificate of Citizenship, the USCIS also proposes an fee could go up from $600 to increased fee of $750 for a $1,170 (a 95 percent increase). child under age 14 when filing While the Certificate of Form I-485 concurrently with Citizenship may be considered the application of a parent an optional form, it may be seeking classification as an required when someone immediate relative of a U.S. applies for certain other bene - citizen, a family-sponsored fits, including, but not limited preference immigration or a to: Social Security benefits; family member accompanying state issued identification, including a driver’s license or (Continued on page 4) BRIEFS Caribbean nations observe Equality (CCE) has joined in con - Emancipation Day, Aug. 1 demning Opposition legislator Caribbean community (CARI - Richard Lightbourn, who last month COM) countries on Aug. 1 observed proposed a policy of sterilization for Emancipation Day with a national unwed mothers after they have holiday and called for the popula - given birth to two children. tion of the region to reflect on the “Remarkably, Mr. Lightbourn is social, economic and political proposing state enforced violence progress achieved since slavery against women, which is a per - had been abolished in 1834. verse violation of human rights,” At least four CARICOM coun - the CCE noted in a statement. “This tries in separate messages urged brings to the forefront the immen - their citizens not to rest on their sity of the failure to enshrine the laurels and continue to work principle of non-discrimination on towards the development of their the basis of sex in our constitution respective countries and the region as the most recent referendum ini - as a whole. tiative sought to do.” ‘Miss Cleo’, psychic with T&T elections judgment fake Jamaican accent, dies due Aug. 19 A self-proclaimed television A High Court judge in Trinidad psychic, who became famous for and Tobago said she will deliver her fake Jamaican accent as “Miss her ruling on Aug. 19 in the elec - Cleo”, lost her battle with cancer tion petitions case brought by the last month in Florida. main Opposition United National Youree Del Cleomill Harris died Congress (UNC) challenging the July 26 in a hospice in Palm Beach results of six constituencies in the County after a battle with the dis - Sept. 7, 2015 general elections. ease, according to NBC News. She Justice Mira Dean- was 53. Harris gained notoriety in Armorer said she did not want the the late 1990s as the face of the matter to go into the new law term Psychic Readers Network, wearing as she heard arguments last month colorful headdresses and speaking by the UNC attorney that the in a thick - and fake - Jamaican Elections and Boundaries accent. Commission had no power nor Harris was born in Los Angeles expressed permission to extend the to Caribbean parents. She was a voting time in the elections. playwright by profession. On Instagram, she called herself a Compiled from various sources, “seer”. including CMC and News Americas. Bahamians blast legisla - 4 tor’s proposal to sterilize unwed women Citizens for Constitutional Over 10,044,000 copies printed and delivered in 27 years CARIBBEAN TODAY • AUGUST 2016• 3 NEWS Antigua makes new moves to secure $200M U.S. owes in gaming dispute ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – The He told the nation that country has received nothing to members of the World Antigua and Barbuda govern - since his party was returned so far, the U.S. benefitted by Trade Organization (WTO), ment says it has dismissed a to office in June 2014, it has hundreds of millions of dol - under the General proposal by the United States engaged U.S. authorities in lars from penalties and fines Agreement on Trade in to end their long running dis - discussions, “but the Cabinet derived from prosecuting Services (GATS), by enacting pute over Internet gaming has agreed that proposals put Internet gaming operators laws that prevented foreign- and said Washington now to us by the U.S. authorities who were located in Antigua based operators from offering owes the island in excess of do not represent a serious and Barbuda. gambling and betting services $200 million. commitment to resolve the “We will make further to its citizens. Prime Minister Gaston issue. efforts to negotiate an accept - In 2005, the WTO ruled Browne in a radio and televi - “By comparison with the able solution with the U.S., that Washington had violated sion broadcast to the nation on sum of over US$200 million but, like every other citizen international trade agree - July 25, said that the twin that our country has lost, and and resident of our nation, ments by prohibiting opera - island nation cannot be that has been awarded to us Browne our patience is wearing thin,” tion of offshore Internet gam - deprived of the money owed to by the highest competent Browne said. bling sites. Antigua claimed it and is adopting a new strate - international authority, the “Therefore, we have not Antigua and Barbuda has that it lost $3.4 billion a year gy in a bid to recover the proposals from the U.S. are been able to accept them. It is criticized the U.S. since 1998 (Continued on page 4) funds. regrettably paltry. instructive that, while our of breaching its commitments U.S. marks first year of new relations with Cuba WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States last month marked the completion of the first year of restoring diplomat - ic relations with Cuba. “This historic break - through has allowed us to more effectively advance U.S. inter - ests and values with our south - ern neighbor,” a July 20 state - ment from the U.S. Department of State noted. Since the re-establishment of diplomatic relations, the department said the United States and Cuba have expand - ed cooperation in areas such as the environment, transporta - tion, agriculture, health and law enforcement. The State Department noted that numerous high-level U.S. officials have visited Cuba to deepen relations, including President Barack Obama; five Cabinet secretaries; members of Congress; governors and mayors.