Greetings,
"Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day."
Robert Caspar Lintner

Welcome to the November edition of the ISAAC Report. We are thankful for the completion of the first full year as the ISAAC project and the blessings that the Lord has bestowed on us. As I reflect on this season, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to you. Your prayers and support have helped ISAAC spread across Texas and enabled many churches to answer the call to be ministers to the "stranger" in the land.  I invite you to read further about the ISAAC Project, immigration issues in the news, and ask that you continue to pray for our growing prayer list.

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others or ask them to sign up at www.isaacproject.org. Also, if you have immigration news you would like to share, please contact richard.munoz@bgct.org.

Now you can donate to ISAAC online!

Over the last year, immigrants have been served, new works have been started and lives have been changed because of your generosity. We at ISAAC thank you! So that you may have more options when you give, we are pleased to announce that you can make a designated donation at our  Web site: www.isaacproject.org. Just click on the "Donate" tab and select "Donate online."  It's quick and simple. ISAAC is a collaborative ministry of the BGCT and Buckner Children and Family Services and your gift is tax deductible. Thank you for your support and prayers.

Want to intern with Baptist Immigration Services of Brownwood?

If you are training to become an accredited representative and would like some hands-on experience, please consider contacting the Baptist Immigration Services of Brownwood.  Director Jesus Romero could definitely use your help. You may contact him at jromero@hputx.edu.

The Good Sheet on Immigration:

If you happened to be in a local Starbucks the week of Sept. 25- Oct. 1, you would have noticed this free publication on immigration. In it, you will find a splendid graphic that depicts the often confusing and frustrating immigration process. You can view it here.

ISAAC EDUCATION:

Facts about Immigration:  Separating the wheat from chaff (Luke 3:17).

Did Illegal Aliens cause the Subprime Meltdown?

As the shockwaves surrounding the current economic crises reverberate throughout the economy, many people are wondering how this crisis happened and who is to blame. Curiously, illegal aliens have been named as one of the main culprits for the subprime debacle. On the October 9th edition of Lou Dobbs Tonight, cable news commentator, Roger Hedgecock claimed that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) "was talking about 5 million illegal alien home mortgage loans that have gone bad."  This claim was later repeated by some talk-radio hosts. Mr. Hedgecock never attributed a source for his claim.

That same day, the Phoenix Business Journal quoted HUD officials as saying that there was no basis for the story and stated that the agency "has no data showing the number of illegal immigrants holding foreclosed or bad mortgages." The link to the story is here.

Afterwards, another talk-radio station claimed their source was a retired "Immigration and Customs Enforcement" (ICE) officer who said "five million illegal immigrants nationwide may hold home mortgages." The article does not state how a retired ICE official would have knowledge regarding HUD's internal data. The radio station's article also claimed that a HUD employee, who would only identify himself as "Brian," claimed that only 2.3 million HUD mortgages were held by immigrants. The radio station's article is here.

The blame game for the subprime mess will continue. While some illegal immigrants may have mortgages in foreclosure, the official government agency in charge of tracking such data, HUD, claimed that there was no data to support the claim that 5 million illegal alien home mortgages are in some process of foreclosure. As you research and form your own conclusions, please remember to verify your sources and "separate the wheat from the chaff."

National News

Grand Jury Indicts Teens In Immigrant Killing

Confusion over Florida ballot initiative

Arizona Prop 202 remains on the books

Missouri adopts "official English" measure; Oregon defeats measure to limit bilingual education

Tyler Representative to file various immigration bills in Texas House

Church helps exploited workers

AILA
AILA 2-Day CLE Conference: Fundamentals & Worksite Enforcement
Day 1: Moving Beyond the Basics: Fundamentals II
Day 2: Cutting Edge Issues in Worksite Compliance & Enforcement
Dec. 11-12, 2008
Westin New Orleans Canal Place
New Orleans, LA
For more information, click here.

Practicing Law Institute
Basic Immigration Law 2009
March 13, 2009
PLI New York Center-New York, NY
For more information, click here.

CLINIC
For the 2009 training schedule, click here.

State Bar of Texas
Nuts & Bolts of Immigration Law 2009
Houston - Feb. 25, 2009
Hotel and registration details available in December 2008

Immigration Law 2009
Houston - Feb. 26-27, 2009
Hotel and registration details available in December 2008

"Never stop praying, especially for others"  Ephesians 6:18a (CEV). 

We get many calls from individuals who need prayer regarding their immigration situation. Please pray for these people and that the Lord's will be done. Additionally, if you have a prayer request and would like it included on this prayer list, please send it to us. Our current prayer list is:

That's it for this month.  Feel free to forward this newsletter to others or ask them to sign up at www.isaacproject.org. Also, if you have immigration news you would like to share, please contact ISAAC Director Richard Muñoz at richard.munoz@bgct.org.