CLIENT ALERT

We inform you that identification of individuals of various ethnic groups, mainly from South Asia and the Middle East, is being checked by the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the State Department authorities at all international U.S. airports in the aftermath of the World Trade Center tragedy. Furthermore, if the documentation carried by any traveler, such as a passport looks suspicious, or otherwise strange for any reason, the airline personnel have made it a practice to alert the security officers at the airport, which creates unnecessary tensions and delays. In some cases, non-citizens and non-Green Card holders have been asked to produce Form I-94 and I-797 as proof of their being legally allowed to be present on U.S. soil.

Although there is no legal obligation to carry these documents on one's person. It is advisable under the circumstances to carry good identification to counter any problem or delay in traveling. If one is a U.S. citizen, it may be a good idea to carry one's passport or at least a good photocopy of the passport even when traveling on domestic airlines.

For those individuals who are in the process of legalizing themselves, it is recommended that they get a letter from their attorney attesting that their petitions are currently being processed by the INS. Copy of the receipt received from INS should also be carried. Such action would avoid unnecessary arguments and unpleasant situations. Of course, all cases of abuse must be reported immediately to the appropriate authorities.