Immigrant job creator faces deportation
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) - It doesn't matter that Asaf Darash started a U.S. company and created 15 jobs here. Federal immigration officials might kick him out anyway.
It's not that he did anything wrong. Rather, he's tangled in a web of immigration policies that are tough on entrepreneurs.
Darash, 38, originally came here from Israel for college and returned in 2010 to launch Regpack, a software company in San Francisco. It's growing so fast, the company already needs to add another 10 workers.
But instead of focusing on expanding his company, Darash has been fighting to stay in the country.
To fulfill requests by immigration officials, he's spent half of every day since August searching for bank statements, invoices, payroll, board meeting records and more.
"I'm in bureaucratic hell," he said. "All I do is find documents all day and deal with lawyers and accountants."
That's because he is caught in the immigrant entrepreneur trap. There's no such thing as a U.S. entrepreneur visa, so immigrants are forced to find other solutions.
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Opinion: Don't label people with Down syndrome
By David M. Perry, Special to CNN
Editor's note: David M. Perry is an associate professor of history at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois. His son, Nicholas Quillen Perry, has Down syndrome.
(CNN) - "It breaks my heart to think how many people would not have chosen to keep that precious angel." - Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaking about abortion and Down syndrome at the 2012 National Convention.
"I highly approve of (Mitt) Romney's decision to be kind and gentle to the retard." - Ann Coulter, tweeting about the third presidential debate.
"No one would call someone with Down syndrome 'retard.' I call you a 'retard.' " - Coulter on Alan Colmes' Fox News Radio show.
Let's pretend that Ann Coulter is telling the truth in that last comment. Yes, she called President Barack Obama a retard, but at least she claimed she'd never insult someone with Down syndrome. Even if she's lying, we have come a long way. Children with Down syndrome still get bullied or even abused, and adults with any disability face an uncertain future, particularly in an era of austerity, but today few would call someone with Down syndrome a retard to his or her face.
For this, as the father of a boy with Down syndrome, I am grateful.
In fact, over the last 50 years or so, the lives of people with Down syndrome and other disabilities have improved in many remarkable ways. Most parents are now raising their children with Down syndrome in their homes rather than sending them to live in institutions. Government programs, especially through early intervention and special education, employ teachers and therapists who have helped these children learn beyond our wildest dreams.
Read David M. Perry's full column
Appeals court strikes down Michigan's affirmative action ban
By the CNN Wire Staff
(CNN) - A federal appeals court on Thursday narrowly struck down Michigan's 6-year-old ban on considering race and gender in college admissions, a ruling that the state intends to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 8-7 that the affirmative action ban, which Michigan voters passed in a 2006 referendum, violated the U.S. Constitution's equal protection laws.
5 things to know about affirmative action
The ruling is the latest step in a years-long legal battle over whether the state's colleges can use race and gender as a factor in choosing which students to admit. The ban's opponents say the case could help strike down anti-affirmative-action policies in other states if it goes to the Supreme Court.
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About In America
What defines you? Maybe it’s the shade of your skin, the place you grew up, the accent in your words, the make up of your family, the gender you were born with, the intimate relationships you chose to have or your generation? As the American identity changes we will be there to report it. In America is a venue for creative and timely sharing of news that explores who we are. Reach us at inamerica@cnn.com.
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