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| A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page | |||||||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 38 | |||||||||
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 Fundación
Pro Zoológicos photo
Several scarlet macaws
enjoy their new location, whichincludes protection from climbing animals Spectacular
birds receive
new home at zoo in city By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Scarlet macaws at the zoo in north San José have a new home. The emblematic bird (Ara macao), known as the lapa roja in Spanish took over the space that once was occupied by peacocks. There was a complete remodeling, said a spokesperson for the Fundación Pro Zoológicos, which operates the Parque Zoológico y Jardín Botánico Nacional Simón Bolívar. The new area for the birds is part of an improvement plan that includes reconstruction of a food preparation area, 16 new spaces for various birds, remodeling of the entrance and murals. The zoo also has remodeled the veterinary clinic, which was built in 1993. Since then the zoo has increased the number of species that require care. The zoo is in north San José. Winds expected to
diminish
By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Today is expected to be similar to days earlier in the week with wind and hardly any rain. But the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional said that there may be a change that could mean rain in the Central Valley and the northern Pacific coast. The winds are expected to diminish and allow more humidity to enter the country. Some rain is anticipated in the central and south Pacific coasts over the weekend. And there may be isolated showers in the Central Valley, the forecast said. Some additional clouds might keep temperatures in the Central Valley lower than they have been, it said.
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
A.M.
Costa Rica advertising reaches from 12,000 to 14,000 unique visitors every weekday in up to 90 countries. |
| SSan José, Costa Rica, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 38 | |
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| Police official on Caribbean coast says
crime is diminishing |
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By
Kayla Pearson
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff Police officials around the Caribbean coast report that although they still have more work to do, they are making progress in reducing crime in the area. In the last year, criminal arrests have increased by nearly 20 percent, and property crimes have decreased by 10 percent in the Talamanca canton, said Leandro Chaverri Cordero, head of the Policía de Fronteras there, in a letter. The security ministry also has increased the number of police in the region, including in the Puerto Viejo area, he added. “We are aware that we still need to overcome much to prevent these situations from happening,” Chaverri said. “However, joint work between neighbors, police and other institutions is harmonized, and has already started to bear its first fruit. Our goal is to decrease year after year complaints for crimes against property, and with this offer to both national and foreign tourists the best possible service in terms of safety.” This will be done through a coordinated effort between the Judicial Investigating Organization, traffic police, immigration police, the Patronato Nacional de la Infancia, the Ministerio de Salud and the municipality, he said. To help, the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo signed an agreement Jan. 24 to renew its partnership with the Ministerio de Gobernación, Policía y Seguridad Pública for five more years. They will invest 350 million colons in the tourism police over that period. With this money, the number of police is expected to rise, and they will be dispersed across the country. The act is an effort to to strengthen and promote Costa Rica as a safe tourist destination, tourism spokespersons said. "This strategic alliance has been of vital importance for the country since as part of these agreements the Ministerio de Seguridad Pública has increased the amount of tourist police to ensure that they are distributed in the most important tourist areas of the nation, ensuring as well a safe environment |
specialized for domestic and foreign
tourists," said Allen Flores, tourism minister. The cooperation between the two entities was first formed in 2006 and resulted in the creation of the tourism police Jan. 5, 2007. To date the institute has provided 100 bicycles, 140 radio transmitters, 71 motorcycles, five patrol cars, two buses and 30 training courses, workers there reported. Through this agreement, the police will be able to place surveillance cameras at strategic points in the coastal zone, said Chaverri. In regards to recent crimes in the Caribbean, Chaverri notes that all the cases were handled at the time. So far there have been no results, but they are all still open for investigation by the judicial agents in Bribri, he said. He continued by saying members of the force do everything they can to accommodate victims. “Currently members of the security community and commercial committees collaborate with people when they have been victims of any offense, giving them support and helping in many cases with language translation, in order to know the details of what happened,” Chaverri said. “Also they help them with transportation to Bribri, so that they can report what happened. In special cases, when little time is given to apprehend individuals involved in these events, commercial venders have given food and lodging to victims to remain some days in the area and finish the judicial process,” he continued. Bribri is the canton's administrative center, although most expats are along the coast. This is not the first time the police officials have said Costa Rica has less crime than in the past. At the end-of-the-year conference Dec. 17, security minister Mario Zamora Cordero referred to 2012 as the year of crime reduction. Zamora also commented that the problems of Limón are more of a social issue than a security issue. Until Limón gets more education opportunities and more work opportunities, crime will be absolutely unconquerable, he said. Talamanca is a canton in the province of Limón |
| How about another helping of that delicious Mister Ed? |
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| Recently
from Europe has come news of a horse meat scandal that stretches from
Great Britain throughout Europe. It is confusing as to whether
the scandal is due to fraud in labeling, fear or repugnance at the idea
of eating horse meat, or concern because some horse meat may contain
the equine painkiller popularly known as bute, which has not been
tested for its effect in humans. Back in 1959 in Majorca, a nice Belgian woman invited me, my husband and our visiting guests, Paula and Alan, to dinner. She entertained us in her tiny second floor apartment and had prepared our dinner in a closet-sized kitchen. Actually, it had been a closet. Her name, like mine, was Josephine. The main course was steak diane. It was delicious; the whisper of sweetness of the meat was perfect with the cognac mustard sauce. After our compliments, I asked her where she shopped for meat. I had never found such delicious and tender beef. “But, of course,” she said, “It’s horse meat.” None of us had ever had horse meat before. She told me where to buy it and to ask only for the filet mignon. It was cheaper and certainly tenderer than the beef I could buy. Horse meat filet mignon became a regular treat at our table. One evening we invited a couple for dinner and I served “steak diane a la Josephine.” Our guests loved the meal, and Dick asked me to tell them where they could buy such delicious beef. I responded, (a la Josephine), “But, of course, it is horse meat.” Dick slapped his napkin over his mouth and hastily got up and headed for the bathroom . . . well, à chacun son goût. Horse meat has been eaten in France since the late 1800s and is appreciated for its sweetness, tenderness and for being cheaper than beef. People in other parts of Europe and the world also eat horse meat. But in most English-speaking countries it is taboo and even outlawed. For religious and social reasons it is banned in other countries. Meanwhile people in over 80 percent of the world’s countries eat bugs – over 1,000 of them are considered edible. The custom is called entomophagy. Spiders are also a popular delicacy. In recent years western chefs have been experimenting with bug dishes and condiments. They furnish protein, vitamins and minerals, and fewer calories than other protein food. My friend and fellow writer, Dr. Lenny Karpman, who is a guru of food in opinion, is currently writing a book about offal. One explanation of the word is that it is derived from “fall off” and in what falls off the chopping block as waste, and refers to the organs of animals, like the heart, liver, kidneys, etc. that were not considerable marketable (and in some countries still are not.). If you are pre-World War II, offal is something your mother probably served at least once a week. Recently, in the United States, President Obama quietly |
 signed a bill that rescinded the ban on inspection of horse meat in slaughterhouses. There have been opposing opinions about what to do with abandoned or old horses. At first the animal lovers wanted a ban on either slaughtering them or shipping them to nearby countries to be slaughtered. That meant these animals would be left to die of starvation or worse. Lifting the ban means that parts of the horse can be used or sold. However, human consumption of horse meat is still not permitted in some parts of the U.S. Horse meat is not sold in Costa Rica. Offal is hard to find, too. I have looked and failed to find calves liver, until finally I asked at the meat market on Avenida 3 near Parque Morazán. At first the young clerk said no, they didn’t have any, and then went to the back and came out with a couple of pieces. At the Residencia they would serve tongue from time to time, and it was my favorite meal. I once, with high hopes saw sweetbreads on the menu at an Argentinean restaurant. But all they did was grill them and they were a great disappointment. Writing this column has given me the idea to keep asking at the meat counter where I shop for a choice offal in hopes that maybe they will save something for me. I am not quite ready for a roasted cockroach, but should it be prepared by a talented chef, I would reconsider. I don’t eat the beef in Costa Rica. It is a disappointment, but I certainly would consider a steak au poivre or diane made with horse meat. |
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| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 38 | |||||
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| Lawmakers want to grill those who approved Monsanto plan By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A legislative committee wants to hear from all the members of a commission that approved the planting of genetically modified corn in Chomes, Puntarenas. The Comisión Permanente Especial de Ambiente heard from the minister of agriculture, a vice minister and the head of the nation's seed office. But two legislators were miffed that they did not have the opportunity to grill all the members of the Comisión de Bioseguridad. Claudio Monge Pereira of Acción Ciudadana said Thursday he wanted to question all the members of the biodiversity committee. So did José María Villalta Florez–Estrada of Frente Amplio. So all the legislators voted to invite them. The minister, Gloria Abraham, said that the Comisión de Bioseguridad has been working for 20 years and has had good results. A subsidiary of Monsanto wants to plant a test patch of corn here, and some worry that the pollen will pollute the genetic makeup of traditional Costa Rican corn or maize plants. The commission is within the Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería. Walter Quirós, director of the Oficina Nacional de Semillas, told lawmakers that they need to be aware that all the foods people consume today are the results of improved seeds although not all genetically modified. The commission's approval of the Monsanto plan is being challenged with an appeal to the Sala IV constitutional court. Villalta is among those doing so. Monsanto modified corn plants to resist certain diseases, insect pests and certain weed killers. Refinery union ends strike after just one day By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The union that represents workers at the government petroleum monopoly called off its strike after one day Thursday. The Sindicato de Trabajadores Petroleros Químicos y Afines froze fuel deliveries but most filling stations had sufficient supplies. Gilbert Brown, secretary general of the union, had announced strike plans well ahead of time and that allowed service stations to top off their tanks. A check of San José gasoline stations found activity to be normal Thursday. The union is opposed to government plans to adjust salaries and abrogate a labor contract. It was unclear why the union called off its strike. The Refinadora Costarricense de Petróleo S.A. is the nation's only supplier. That decision announced in the late afternoon also was a surprise to the refinery management. The executive president, Jorge Villalobos, told an afternoon news conference that the firm was ready to handle the national demand even if a strike continues. He said the company could reopen a plant at Ochomogo, if necessary. He and his management team stressed that the strike was not against the refinery but against the salary proposals by the central government. Six firms sign contracts to generate private power By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad signed agreements Thursday with companies who want to produce electricity and sell it to the government distributor. Those firms seeking to generate power by wind are Inversiones Eólicas Campos Azules S.A, Inversiones Eólicas Guanacaste S.A, Vientos del Volcán S.A and Costa Rica Energy Holding S.A. These projects are in Guanacaste. The firms seeking to build the hydro facilities are El Angel S.A. and Comercial Talamanca El General S.A. The former monopoly telecom provider still has a monopoly on power generation, and it is grudgingly complying with a new law that allows private generation on a commercial scale. There are a number of other firms seeking to do likewise, but the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad said they have not fully complied with all the regulations yet. Costa Rica has to use petroleum-fired generators in the months of January through April, the country's dry season when there is not sufficient water to keep the hydro plants at peak capacity. Now the firms have a year to get their financing in place. Lottery operators called the nation's biggest player By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The biggest player in the national lotteries is the lottery operator itself, said an auditor who appeared before legislators Thursday. The lottery is run by the Junta de Protección Social, and the idea is to distribute the profits to a number of agencies. But a change in policy now allows the junta to win if any unsold weekly lottery tickets have the correct number. The internal auditor is Doris Chen, who appeared before the Comisión Permanente Especial de Control de Ingreso y Gasto Público. The junta got a lot of heat before Christmas when the grand prize winner of the gordo annual lottery had not been sold. So the junta just kept the money. |
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| A.M.
Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 38 | |||||||||
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| India
plans to send craft to enter orbit around Mars By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
India will launch its first mission to Mars this year, President Pranab Mukherjee said Thursday, as the emerging Asian nation looks to play catch up in the global space race alongside the United States, Russia and its giant neighbor China. "Several space missions are planned for 2013, including India's first mission to Mars and the launch of our first navigational satellite,'' Mukherjee told parliament. India will send a satellite in October via an unmanned spacecraft to orbit the red planet, blasting off from the southeastern coast in a mission expected to cost about $83 million, scientists who are part of the mission say. The spacecraft, which will be made in India, will take nine months to reach Mars and then launch itself in an elliptical orbit about 500 km (310 miles) from the planet. "The mission is ready to roll,'' Deviprasad Karnik, a scientist from the India Space Research Organization, said by phone from the city of Bangalore. India's mission to Mars has drawn criticism in a country suffering from high levels of malnutrition and power shortages, and currently experiencing its worst slowdown in growth in 10 years. But India has long argued that technology developed in its space program has practical applications to everyday life. India's space exploration program began in 1962. Five years ago, its Chandrayaan satellite found evidence of water on the moon. India is now looking at landing a wheeled rover on the moon in 2014. U.N. ducks cholera claim by citing its immunity By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The United Nations has rejected a claim for compensation filed on behalf of 5,000 Haitian victims of a cholera outbreak, saying the world body is protected by immunity. The claim, filed in 2011, sought millions of dollars from the United Nations, saying its peacekeepers brought the deadly disease to Haiti. The water-borne disease had not been documented in Haiti for decades when it appeared several months after the January 2010 earthquake that left thousands of people homeless and living in makeshift camps. Newly arrived U.N. peacekeepers from Nepal were suspected of bringing the disease into the country and spreading it into the water supply through poor sanitation at their camp. Cholera is endemic in Nepal, and the strain responsible for Haiti’s epidemic is one that is prevalent throughout South Asia. U.N. Spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters Thursday that the U.N. had reviewed the petitioners’ claim and that Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon had called the president of Haiti to inform him of its decision. “Today, the United Nations advised the claimants’ representatives that the claims are not receivable pursuant to Section 29 of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations," said Nesirky. "The secretary-general telephoned Haitian President Michel Martelly to inform him of the decision and to reiterate the commitment of the United Nations to the elimination of cholera in Haiti.” In addition to $50,000 for each person sickened by the outbreak and $100,000 for the family of each victim who died as a result of it, the petitioners also sought to have the United Nations install a national water and sanitation system to control the epidemic and issue a public apology. Brian Concannon is the director of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, which filed the compensation claim. He said by telephone from Arizona where he was on a family holiday that he was disappointed by the U.N.’s decision, but not surprised, and that the claim for compensation would not end here. “The U.N. said we are not going to comply with our obligation to provide an alternate mechanism, and so the only way that our victims can get justice is to go to a national court. So we are now preparing to file in a national court,” he said. Concannon said they could file in Haiti, New York or even in Europe, and that that decision would be made in the coming weeks. China and EU move closer to trade war on solar panels By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
China's leadership transition is complicating talks to resolve a multi-billion-dollar dispute with the European Union over solar panels, pushing both sides closer to placing punitive tariffs on each others' exports and risking a trade war. The newly appointed chief of China's Communist Party Xi Jinping is set to take over the presidency at a national congress in March. But the full line-up of government officials is not yet in place, and China's current commerce minister is likely to step down after what some have said was a political snub at the party's congress in November. EU leaders want to avoid following the United States' decision last year to impose duties on Chinese solar power products, aware that Europe needs China to help it emerge from three years of economic crisis. But EU officials and diplomats say they have made little progress, accusing the Chinese of stonewalling, and are unable to get beyond the outgoing commerce minister, Chen Deming. They complain of a limbo in the ministry that will not end until after the March congress. "There is no clarity on what the new leadership thinks about trade," said a senior EU official involved in talks with China. "They are stonewalling and the window of opportunity for a solution on solar panels is closing." China's commerce ministry spokesman Shen Danyang told reporters in Beijing this week that officials are conducting consultations and relevant response work with the concerned parties but did not comment on any impact China's leadership transition is having on negotiations. Germany, the United States and China are the world's biggest solar markets and companies are in a race to win contracts as countries seek to limit pollution and global warming. In a non-binding vote, EU countries approved on Wednesday a request from industry to register solar panels from China, which would allow for retroactive measures if the European Commission agrees to registration and does impose duties. But the Commission, the EU executive, denied Thursday that the decision by member states signaled Brussels was closer to blocking Chinese solar products. "Let's not interpret this as suggesting anything. It is simply administrative procedure," EU trade spokesman John Clancy said in a statement. |
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| A.M. Costa
Rica's sixth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 38 | |||||||||
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Latin America news |
Immigration agents
detain
trio in fake permits case By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Immigration police detained members of a group who are suspected of forging work documents for Nicaraguans. Three persons, including a man identified by the last name of Hoffman, were seized Thursday in a house in Tibás, San José. Agents suspected that they would be making documents at 10 a.m. that morning, according to immigration. One of the other persons was identified by the last name of Garcia. The last member is only known by the name Victor, spokespersons said. The group has been under investigation since January, after investigators were given information about a counterfeiting scheme. Each permit was sold to a Nicaraguan for 40,000 colons. Victims were told that the documents came from the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería, a report said. A raid of the house resulted in the police acquiring computers, printers and plastic cards. Argentina makes agreement for training police there By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Security minister Mario Zamora Cordero and Argentina Ambassador Martín Balza signed an agreement Thursday for an interchange between the Argentinean naval force and Costa Rica's coast guard. Each year two Servicio Nacional de Guardacostas officers will be granted a full scholarship to study maritime security at an Argentine university. Argentinean officials will likewise be allowed to come to Costa Rica and experience first hand the fight against drugs and other crimes, a release said. According to coast guard director Martín Arias, four Costa Rican officials are currently studying at the universities of the Prefectura Naval Argentina. Two of them are just starting the program, while the other two are into their second year. The training lasts four years. Prefectura Naval Argentina is in charge of security at 5,000 kilometers of coastlines in the Atlantic, as well as in all ports, rivers and Argentinean lakes, said Balza. Police invite bike riders By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Recreational bikers are invited to ride with police Sunday. Juan José Andrade Morales, director general de la Fuerza Pública, is expected to participate along with sports figures, professional cyclists and celebrities. The starting point is in front of the Catholic church in Hatillo Centro at 8 a.m. The route is being called the Ruta Azul because of the presence of police dressed in blue. The idea is to promote bike recreation and safety. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica Seventh Newspage |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 38 | |
 Wire service photo
María del Mar Verdugo
and Heather MorganSame-sex couples
face visa barriers
By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Heather Morgan, an American, and María del Mar Verdugo, a citizen of Spain, were close friends for 10 years before they fell in love. “Always in the beginning, we realized we wanted to be together forever,” said Ms. Verdugo. She and Morgan got married in New York city two years ago with their friends and families in attendance. “We knew our commitment to each other, but we wanted to make that commitment public, something that even in society’s eyes is a binding commitment to each other,” Ms. Morgan said. They hope to begin a family soon, but Verdugo can’t receive a spousal visa, because she and Ms. Morgan are a same-sex couple. She may remain in the U.S. only as long as her work visa is valid. “Just beyond the challenges any couple has, we have that complete uncertainty and the idea that at a moment’s notice, Mar could be forced to leave,” Ms. Morgan said. Most Americans married to citizens of other countries have the right to seek legal immigration status for their spouses. But same-sex couples like Ms. Morgan and Ms. Verdugo, although they now may legally wed in nine states, have no such right, because of a 1996 federal law, the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as solely between a man and a woman. In another part of New York, Venezuelan-born Pablo Garcia and Santiago Ortiz, an American, face the same issue. They have lived together for 21 years and were married in 2011. Garcia has not been back to Venezuela in that time, even when his father died, for fear of not being readmitted to the U.S. He doesn’t even like to go out in New York. “It’s a common expression in Spanish: ‘I’ve been living in the shadows.’ I’m afraid of being deported,” Garcia said. Thumbing through a huge binder of papers, Garcia’s application for a spousal visa, Ortiz said, “We applied for his green card, and we got a response saying they weren’t even going to look at the application because we were a same-sex couple.” He fears he and Garcia could be wrenched apart. “Right now, his mom’s not feeling well, and we’re very worried about her,” Ortiz said. “And two days ago, his sister called, and said ‘Can he call me, because I want to talk about my mother,’ and going through my head is, ‘Oh my God, is he going to have to leave? How is he going to come back?’ I don’t know what would happen if he had to leave.” Both couples are part of a lawsuit seeking equality in immigration rights. They have powerful support on the issue. President Barack Obama’s immigration reform proposals would grant married same-sex couples an equal right to sponsor a spouse for immigration. The provision is supported by congressional Democratic leaders and liberal Latino groups. Some conservative religious organizations have sharply objected, however, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Association of Evangelicals, as part of their opposition to same-sex marriage. Republican Sen. John McCain, a co-sponsor of immigration reform in Congress, has said the issue could doom all immigration reform. In late March, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in another case challenging the Defense of Marriage Act, which also bars same-sex spouses from receiving Social Security survivors’ benefits and filing joint tax returns, among other rights accorded heterosexual couples. About 35,000 Americans in same-sex marriages to foreign citizens will be able to seek spousal visas if the Court strikes down the Defense of Marriage Act, or if Congress passes Obama’s immigration reforms. Ms. Morgan and Ms. Verdugo said that whatever happens, they will not delay their plans to start their family soon, and they won’t be separated. Asked how many children they would like, Verdugo said two. “But we would like to start with one first,” she said, laughing. Garcia and Ortiz are also hopeful, since a change they never dreamed possible has already taken place. “It’s the oddest thing in the world, something I never thought could happen,” Ortiz said of their marriage. “His mother accepts it, my family knows about it. When I was growing up, it was a non-existent idea. I always saw other people getting married, and that happiness was not available for me. And then it was.” Key groups reach immigration accord By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The two biggest labor and business lobbying groups in the United States have reached an unexpected consensus on how they would want Congress to manage entry of low-skilled foreign workers into the U.S., a top priority in the push to overhaul the nation’s immigration system. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO announced their agreement Thursday, ending a weeks-long impasse that threatened to delay reform efforts. The groups, which are often at odds in their bids to represent workers’ and corporate interests, agreed on three proposed points. First, they said, American workers should have the first chance at available jobs. Second, U.S. laws should permit businesses to easily and efficiently hire foreign workers. Third, an independent bureau should be established to track labor markets and demographics. The first point is a kind of victory for the AFL-CIO, which says it is trying to protect American workers from having their jobs filled by foreigners who may be willing to work for lower wages. Ana Avendano, the AFL-CIO’s director of immigration and chief negotiator in the talks, said jobs are often intentionally hidden from U.S. workers by corporations that discretely advertise them in newspapers or Web sites no one looks at. “These jobs become hidden jobs, and when they’re filled, they’re filled with workers who are indentured to an employer," she said of foreign applicants. "They can’t move around. Their only choice is to be deported or go home with a heavy debt” to labor recruiters. A tenet of the agreement, if written into new legislation, would help those foreign workers along a path to permanent U.S. residency. “Among other things, this requires a new kind of worker visa program that does not keep all workers in a permanent temporary status,” the groups said in a joint-statement. According to Avendano, foreign workers should be allowed to self-petition for a green card under the new program. “We’re proposing a visa program that doesn’t exist right now," she said. "We didn’t want to recreate mistakes of the past.” U.S. President Barack Obama has made immigration reform a priority for his second and final term in office. Thursday, White House press secretary Jay Carney would not say whether the president supports such a visa program, but he did call the agreement encouraging. "We see this agreement on principles as a positive development, a sign of progress," Carney said. "But I'm not going to prejudge a bill that has not been written." A bipartisan working group of senators is hoping to introduce new immigration legislation next month. The lawmakers had urged the AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce to overcome their differences to try to avoid future delays by the powerful lobbies. |
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