Quote:
Originally Posted by junction29
Has anyone had any experience of traveling to and from the UK to VT, on a B2 Visa, when several visits extent to more than 6 months in a year , we are thinking of buying in VT and don't wont to have any problems at the airport with immigration  |
You plan on traveling to Vermont? Via Burlington International Airport?
Not that you need it, but there are a lot of English as a Second Language opportunities up there and there are NEW immigrants from all over the world, especially near and around Colchester where Saint Michael's College is located. The University of Vermont is in Burlington and ditto, has many foreign exchange students. I don't think immigration is a problem.
Of course, they just granted citizenship to a Bosnian war criminal and then repented at leisure by arresting him..........
Vermont has changed from a very conservative state to an ultra liberal state in the past 43 years.......
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/a...out-war-crimes
An immigrant living in Burlington is facing federal charges for lying to immigration authorities by denying involvement in war crimes during the conflict in Bosnia two decades ago, U.S. District Court records show.
Edin Sakoc, 54, committed war crimes against a civilian Bosnian Serb family 21 years ago, according to the two-count indictment unsealed Friday.
Sakoc, a Bosnian Muslim, is accused of raping a Serb woman in July 1992, aiding in killing two elderly relatives she was caring for and burning down the house they were staying in, court records show. The U.S. Justice Department later announced the elderly relatives were the raped woman’s mother and aunt.
Sakoc, speaking through an interpreter, pleaded not guilty to the indictment in federal court in Burlington late Friday afternoon. Deputy U.S. Marshals jailed Sakoc pending another hearing on Monday in federal court.
During Friday’s 15-minute hearing, defense lawyer Robert Behrens said Sakoc has been in Vermont since 2001 and urged his release pending trial. Sakoc lives with his wife and a six-year-old daughter on Riverside Avenue in Burlington, Behrens said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia A. Cowles told the judge the federal government was not seeking pre-trial detention. She did not say why.
A pre-trial services officer with the U.S. Probation Office said she did not have enough time to verify much of the personal information Sakoc had provided her. She said she was concerned he might be a flight risk.
Chief Federal Judge Christina Reiss said she was concerned about releasing Sakoc without any documentation by pre-trial services. Reiss said her concerns were increased when told Sakoc has a passport, owns property in Bosnia and he travels there frequently.
After a phone call, Sakoc’s wife arrived at the courthouse with his U.S. passport, but when the court hearing resumed, Reiss learned he also had a Bosnian passport. The judge said that passport and any other documents that would allow him to leave the United States had to be surrendered before Sakoc could be released. His wife rode a bicycle home, but failed to return before 5 p.m. when court closed for the day.
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Behrens requested 90 days to review the government’s file and file appropriate motions. Reiss agreed noting several witnesses are in Bosnia and there was much discovery to be made by the defense.
A U.S. Justice Department spokesman said he could not say how authorities learned of Sakoc.
The charges in the indictment carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison as well as automatic revocation of his U.S. citizenship and a fine of up to $250,000, according to a news release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The indictment, which was returned by a federal grand jury Thursday, was sealed until federal agents arrested Sakoc at his home about 8 a.m. Friday with assistance from Burlington Police.
The alleged war crime
The indictment and court papers tell the following story:
The three victims, after their home was destroyed by military fire, moved to the home of a nearby Bosnian Croat family in July 1992.
Sakoc and an unnamed co-conspirator removed one of the victims from the home against her will. Sakoc then assaulted and raped her before taking her to the Dretelji prison camp.
Later that night or early the next morning Sakoc and the co-conspirator returned to the home for the other two victims. Once inside the co-conspirator, “aided and abetted by Edwin Sakoc, shot and killed Victim-2 and victim-3,” the indictment said.
The records go on to report: Sakoc and the co-conspirator then burned down the home and moved the bodies outdoors where they were burned as well.
Authorities say Sakoc lied when he applied for refugee status in March 2001 and then for permanent residence in the United States by denying any past crimes. He was allowed to enter the United States that month.
He became a permanent legal resident about March 2004 after filing more paperwork, where he again denied any past crimes.
Sakoc applied in the district of Vermont to become a naturalized citizen of the United States in February 2007. He was required to file various forms and swear to their accuracy.
Among the papers was a federal form on which Sakoc was asked “questions related to past crimes he may have committed and whether he persecuted anyone. Sakoc denied committing any crimes or persecuting anyone,” the indictment said.
A U.S. Immigration Officer placed Sakoc under oath in June 2007 and questioned him about information on his application. “Sakoc denied committing any crimes,” the indictment said.
Sakoc became a naturalized citizen of the United States in September 2007.
The indictment charges Sakoc knowingly procured his own naturalization by providing false and fraudulent information and applying for naturalization when he was not entitled to receive it.
Contact Mike Donoghue