MS fights for Immigrant Rights.

[Ameesh]

Cool!

In Washington, about 300 people are being held by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. Because they have not been charged with crimes, they have not been provided lawyers, and only about 10 percent can afford to hire legal help.

As a result, many wind up being detained for more than a year.

"The vast majority go without representation," said Leah Iraheta, director of the Northwest Immigrants Rights Project, which is involved with the new program.

Microsoft has promised a $375,000 grant to underwrite the program for three years and also will assign a number of the cases to its in-house attorneys.

Microsoft general counsel Bradford Smith said this is the first formal pro-bono project that the company's lawyers have undertaken. But it is an area of law in which they are well-versed, according to Smith. The company has more than 5,000 foreign-born employees, and 15 staff attorneys for immigration issues.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Awesome.

 

[Tiger]

Are they here legally?
If not, show them the door.

 

[UglyCasanova]

What does pro-bono mean?

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: dparker
What does pro-bono mean?

free.

 

[SSP]

What if they are linux users?

 

[axelfox]

Aren't their in-house counsels corporate lawyers? How will they be able to handle immigration law?

 

[pulse8]

Originally posted by: axelfox
Aren't their in-house counsels corporate lawyers? How will they be able to handle immigration law?

Microsoft general counsel Bradford Smith said this is the first formal pro-bono project that the company's lawyers have undertaken. But it is an area of law in which they are well-versed, according to Smith.

Reading is gooooood.

 

[Double Trouble]

With the number of international workers at MS and the global extent of their empire, I'm quite certain MS has a veritable battalion of immigration lawyers on staff.......

Just because someone is here illegaly or did something wrong does not mean they should be held indefinitely without legal representation or their day in court.

 

[calbear2000]

Good for Microsoft!

 

[Red Dawn]

Is MS being Altruistic or are they doing it so they can keep hiring Foreign Worker for less than Home Grown Workers?

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: dparker
What does pro-bono mean?

Free Viagra?.

 

[Double Trouble]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Is MS being Altruistic or are they doing it so they can keep hiring Foreign Worker for less than Home Grown Workers?

I don't think it helps MS keep hiring foreign workers (there's a glut of people with H1-B visas anyway), but I'm guessing they're just doing it to make some of their workers happy and gain some PR points. After all, for a company like MS, putting $375,000 into something is like you or I donating $.00001 to some cause. Drop in the bucket.

 

[Ameesh]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Is MS being Altruistic or are they doing it so they can keep hiring Foreign Worker for less than Home Grown Workers?

to my knowledge foriegn workers and home grown workers make the same exact money at the redmond campus. The salieries may differ from campus to campus but they are consistent within them.

 

[Red Dawn]

Well if they can't find skilled workers here then I guess they have no choice but to look overseas. As long as they are paying the Foriegn Workers the same amount I don't see anything wrong with it

 

[Tiger]

Just because someone is here illegaly or did something wrong does not mean they should be held indefinitely without legal representation or their day in court.

Agreed. They should be put on the next plane home.

 

[BD231]

Originally posted by: Tiger

Just because someone is here illegaly or did something wrong does not mean they should be held indefinitely without legal representation or their day in court.

Agreed. They should be put on the next plane home.

 

[PushHands]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: dparker
What does pro-boner mean?

Free Viagra?.

LOL.. edited quote