Visa for a song



SOMETIME in 1984 while doing a record-your-own-song story for the Philippine News -- the national newspaper for Filipinos in America -- I adapted a song from my all-time favorite group, the Beatles. The song was "A Little Help From My Friends."

The song -- as adapted -- acquires a new significance after President George W. Bush signed into law the Homeland Security bill on Nov. 25, 2002. It follows the journey of immigrants, especially those who cross the international dateline and wanders into the twilight zone of the unlawful. Okay, the popular word is TNT. More of the song and lyrics, later.

The new law creates the biggest agency (cabinet level) since 1947. The Department of Homeland Security swallows 22 existing agencies with combined budgets of about 40 billion dollars and employs 170,000 workers, the most sweeping federal reorganization since the creation of the Department of Defense in 1947.

One of the most significant provisions of the new law is the abolition of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. While there is a transition period provided -- one year -- the INS is no longer in charge of immigration matters. The visa issuance and denial function on the other hand has been hijacked from the Department of State.

It is not without warning.

In October 2002, the General Accounting Office (GAO) issued a report recommending the visa issuance/denial process as a tool against terrorism. Similar bills were initiated but only House Resolution 5710 -- the Homeland Security Act of 2002 -- made it fast and with strong bipartisan support.

The GAO was established in 1921, with a mandate to audit and evaluate government programs and activities to ensure effective receipt and disbursement of public funds. It is the investigative arm of Congress and performs reviews requested by committee chairs and ranking minority members, as well as those required by law or initiated by the GAO. The report was requested by the House Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs and International Relations, Committee on Government Reform.

The Homeland Security law shall:

• create a Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services to replace the functions of the Immigration and Naturalization Service -- other than enforcement

• transfer specific functions from the Border Patrol, US Customs Service, Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Agriculture, Department of Justice and Department of State to the Department of Homeland Security

• override decisions and evaluate performance of consular officers in issuing or denying visas

• activate and use an "interoperable electronic data system implemented" under the new law Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002

• permanently assign department-designated officers to consular posts as members of Terrorist Lookout Committees

• study the role of foreign nationals -- including Filipinos who are not yet US citizens -- in the granting or refusal of visas and other documents authorizing entry of aliens into the United States.

But back to the song.

Visitors or not, one of the first documents a tourist in the US want is a Social Security Number. With an SS card, one could apply for a driver's license, a state identification card. These two are the most common documents required by employers to check whether a job applicant may be hired or not.

Employers are required by law to ask applicants to fill up the form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification. There are sets of documents a job applicant must have to prove identity and eligibility for hiring. There are three columns -- A, B and C -- which list the documents the job applicant must present. Column A includes US birth certificate, green card, work permit or employment authorization document from the INS, US passport. First on the list under Column B is the driver's license or State ID card and first on Column C is the US Social Security card.

Employers cannot ask a job applicant to produce other documents -- if the applicant can present any of the listed documents in Columns B and C. Doing so would be risking a suit against discrimination. Besides. Employers are not experts in detecting fraud. As long as there is good faith effort to examine the documents -- meaning if on its face value, the document appears genuine -- the employer cannot be faulted for having hired an undocumented alien. However, the employer will be cited and if caught again could be sanctioned. So, stand by, check the mike and clear your throat.

For our Minus-one, videoke or karaoke enthusiasts, feel free to sing it anytime, no royalties asked. Just sing it with gusto.

"Kadarating lang sa United States,
Kailangan, lakarin ang papeles
Kamag-anak at mga kaibigan
Ang advise, unahin ko ang SS.

Oh, I'll get by with a little help from my friends.
Uhmm, I'm gonna try not to be caught by INS,
Uhmm, I'll get by if I pass IRS.

Nakapag-waiter sa isang restaurant,
Nakabili ng second-hand na wheels.
Awa ng Diyos na-approve ang credit,
May Mervyns, Mastercard at Macy's…

Oh, I'll get by with a little help from my friends.
Uhmm, I'm gonna try not to be caught by INS,
Uhmm, I'll get by if I pass IRS.

Do you need anybody?
I just need someone to wed.
Should it be anybody.
Kailangan citizen, no less.

Now that I have my own little green card,
I'm gonna help the NPAs in the states,
Dahil alam kong mahirap ang buhay,
Mga taong No Permanent Address…

Oh, I'll get by with a little help from my friends,
Uhmm, I'm gonna try not to be caught by INS,
Uhmm, I'll get by if I pass IRS.

I'll get by with a little help from my friends (3x)
A little help from my friends."

Take a bow.



You may contact Crispin R. Aranda in the Philippines at (02) 411-0806; 414-2655 or 373-6799 or email him at usvisasnow@yahoo.com. In the US you may reach him in San Francisco, California at 415-834-1052.