ACTIVITY IN NEIGHBORING STATES

Farmers, critics divided over proposed migrant workers bill
Michigan - Federal lawmakers are considering a bill that proponents say would help to stabilize the migrant work force on which Michigan agriculture depends. The Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security Act of 2009 grants undocumented, foreign migrant farm hands temporary resident status, giving farmers peace of mind knowing their employees won't be subject to raids and deportation, proponents say. Supporters also argue that with legal status, migrant workers would no longer have to suffer unfair treatment for fear of being deported. But critics say granting undocumented migrant workers legal status won't solve the problem of work force instability because if farm hands choose to pursue more lucrative work, growers will be left in the lurch. They also argue the bill grants illegal immigrants amnesty.  "For farmers, this is a burning issue, especially at harvest time," said Vera Bitsch, who specializes in human resources in agriculture at Michigan State University.  Farmers say they live in fear of raids and worker deportations, which can create labor shortages and result in crops going unharvested. In Michigan, where agribusiness generated $71.3 billion in 2008, that instability can be costly. The Detroit News, 10/17/09.

Task force fights human trafficking, right here in York: A group of official and volunteers are working to end human trafficking in York County and elsewhere.
Pennslyvania - A coalition of representatives from law enforcement, social services, government and the community have joined forces in the fight against human trafficking in York County.  Their first goal, said Melissa Plotkin, community and volunteer liaison for the YWCA and chairwoman of York County's Anti-Trafficking Task Force, is to convince county residents that human trafficking -- modern-day slavery -- exists in York County.  "I still think that people don't want to think it happens here in York," she said. "We don't want to believe that this kind of slavery exists. . . . Human trafficking can happen in any community."  Human trafficking has surfaced in York County twice in recent years. In 2006, two massage parlors were identified as being part of a sex slave network that stretched down the East Coast. Two years later, federal agents charged three people associated with two nail salons with forcing women to work for them for free. On Tuesday, Lynda Dieu Phan, 39; her brother Justin Phan, 36; and her boyfriend, Duc Cao Nguyen, 41, pleaded guilty to federal charges.  Daily Record, 10/11/09.

ACTIVITY ACROSS UNITED STATES

Census

Latino pastors gather to support a full census count
California - Southern California pastors representing 1,200 Latino Protestant congregations unveiled plans Monday to marshal their collective forces to urge full participation in the 2010 census and reject calls to boycott the decennial count. The pastors, who represent evangelical, Pentecostal and mainline Protestant churches, said they were worried that widespread media coverage of the boycott call might inhibit participation in the census, particularly by undocumented immigrants. The boycott call was launched earlier this year by a national Latino evangelical clergy group to protest the lack of progress on immigration reform. But the pastors said at a Los Angeles news conference Monday that they would urge participation with a new campaign driven by the motto "We all count in God's eyes: Make yourself count!" Their group, the Network of Latino Pastors in Southern California, was formed in 2006 to press for immigration reform. The campaign represents the first time most of the pastors have ever taken political action; many say it illustrates the awakening power of the Latino evangelical movement.  Los Angeles Times. 10/20/09.

Drivers’ Licenses and Identification

SF police to ease unlicensed driver policy
California - San Francisco police are easing a policy that requires officers to impound the vehicles of drivers caught without a license—a move expected to help illegal immigrants. The revised policy, which takes effect next month, gives unlicensed drivers 20 minutes after they are pulled over to have a licensed and insured driver move their vehicle. If not, the vehicle can be towed, but only with the approval of a supervisory officer. "This is an attempt to try to enhance public safety," said San Francisco Police Chief George Gascon, who took over the department in August. Gascon said the current policy can leave families stranded on the side of the road. It can also encourage unlicensed drivers to run from the police and buy cheap, unsafe vehicles. San Francisco would be among the first cities to implement the no-tow policy, although other cities, including Oakland and San Jose, have looked into the change, said Mark Silverman, director of immigration policy at the San Francisco-based Immigrant Legal Resource Center. But critics say the city should not make life easier for people who are in the country illegally.    San Jose Mercury News. 10/26/09.

Immigration Reform

Sacramento's top cop joins call for immigration overhaul
California - Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel has joined other chiefs in the nation in calling for an immigration overhaul that considers legalizing millions of undocumented immigrants. Braziel said Congress must take a two-pronged approach: tighter borders and a way to allow undocumented immigrants who are productive to stay in the U.S. legally. Now, many are afraid to assist in criminal investigations, Braziel said. In an interview with The Bee, Braziel said his department hears of violent crimes, including home-invasion robberies, that go unsolved because witnesses are afraid of being deported. Braziel and the other law enforcement officials said their agencies don't quiz people about their status during minor traffic stops and smaller infractions, but will work with federal immigration officials to apprehend illegal immigrants suspected of serious crimes.    The Sacramento Bee. 10/23/09.

Law Enforcement

HPD won't screen for immigration: City pulls out of controversial ICE program
Texas - The Houston Police Department will not participate in a controversial immigration screening program, federal officials said on Friday, ending a months-long saga over the city's plans.  Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials had designated this week as the national deadline for agencies to sign recently revamped agreements in order to participate in the federal government's 287(g) program, which deputizes local law enforcement to act as immigration agents. On Friday, ICE officials released a list of the 55 agencies that had signed formal agreements with ICE. A dozen agencies, including the Harris County Sheriff's Office, had reached agreements with ICE, but still were awaiting approval from their governing bodies to sign off on the partnerships. HPD was on a short list of a half-dozen agencies that either withdrew from negotiations or did not re-sign agreements with ICE, according to ICE officials. Carl Rusnok, an ICE spokesman, said on Friday that HPD had voluntarily withdrawn from 287(g), "as the program did not correlate with their specific law enforcement needs."  Houston Chronicle, 10/17/09.

Houston Police Department won't screen for immigration: City pulls out of controversial ICE program
Texas - The Houston Police Department will not participate in a controversial immigration screening program, federal officials said on Friday, ending a months-long saga over the city's plans.  Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials had designated this week as the national deadline for agencies to sign recently revamped agreements in order to participate in the federal government's 287(g) program, which deputizes local law enforcement to act as immigration agents.  On Friday, ICE officials released a list of the 55 agencies that had signed formal agreements with ICE. A dozen agencies, including the Harris County Sheriff's Office, had reached agreements with ICE, but still were awaiting approval from their governing bodies to sign off on the partnerships.  HPD was on a short list of a half-dozen agencies that either withdrew from negotiations or did not re-sign agreements with ICE, according to ICE officials. Carl Rusnok, an ICE spokesman, said on Friday that HPD had voluntarily withdrawn from 287(g), "as the program did not correlate with their specific law enforcement needs."  Houston Chronicle, 10/17/09.

Arpaio cites non-existent law in crime-sweep argument: Sheriff used Web info to bolster sweeps without ICE pact
Arizona - Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio cited a non-existent federal law and included a legal interpretation taken from an anti-immigration Web site in a document he distributed during a news conference last week.  Arpaio used the document to bolster his claim that he can continue to arrest undocumented immigrants during controversial crime sweeps even without a special agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "We don't need that authority. I don't need any federal authority from (the agreement)," he said.  Arpaio said he will launch his 12th crime sweep today. The Arizona Republic, 10/16/09.

Tougher rules on policing migrants; Agencies helping with deportations must focus on major crimes.
North Carolina -The Wake County Sheriff's Department is one of eight local law enforcement agencies in North Carolina and 66 across the nation authorized by the federal government to identify illegal immigrants and process them for possible deportation under a program known as 287(g). Virginia is the only other state with more participating agencies. There are four such agreements in California, including one with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Immigrant advocates and some lawmakers have been highly critical of the program because of reports of racial profiling and civil rights violations. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus has called for an end to the program. Responding to concerns, the Obama administration announced in July that participating agencies would be subject to federal supervision and required to focus their efforts primarily on serious and violent criminals. Police agencies must sign new agreements by today. Los Angeles County sheriff's officials are still in negotiations but expect to continue immigration screening in the jails. If police agencies fail to follow the new rules, they risk losing their enforcement authority, said Alonzo Pena, deputy assistant secretary at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.    Los Angeles Times. 10/14/09.

'Toughest sheriff' vows fed face-off over illegals; Street sweep planned as pact expires
Arizona - The man who likes to call himself "America's toughest sheriff," Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz., is planning a Friday showdown with the feds. The sheriff has announced he will defy the U.S. Department of Homeland Security by doing a street sweep for illegal immigrants one day after the expiration of the agreement that has permitted him to conduct such operations for the past three years. The sheriff has said he expects the deal not to be extended, though federal officials have remained publicly noncommittal. Deputies, and Sheriff Arpaio, will stake out an intersection somewhere in the Phoenix metro area to stop cars for traffic violations - everything from speeding to broken taillights to driving while intoxicated. Both drivers and passengers will be held if deputies determine that they are illegal immigrants - regardless of how minor was the initial infraction. Oct. 15 is the day he expects to find out whether federal officials will approve his pending application for a renewal of the contract with ICE to detain illegal immigrants. In the past few weeks, the sheriff has been loudly complaining that the contract will no longer allow street sweeps of the kind he plans Friday, potentially angering federal authorities, who still have the power not to extend the agreement at all. For the past three years, Sheriff Arpaio has been working under what is known as a 287(g) contract, named for the section of a federal immigration-reform law that established the program in 1996. The ACLU has filed a lawsuit accusing Sheriff Arpaio of racial profiling and expects to start discovery motions soon.    The Washington Times. 10/14/09.

Some police agencies resist new immigration controls
Massachusetts - Some state and local police are having second thoughts about working with the federal government to enforce immigration laws. Under what's known as the 287(g) program, agencies sign a voluntary agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and are trained to check legal status of prisoners and crime suspects, and to initiate deportations. The contract can specify enforcement in jail, in the community or both. Several police agencies have complained that new rules set by the Obama administration would cost too much time and money and, in some cases, damage their relationship with immigrants. The Framingham Police Department in Massachusetts ended its contract Oct. 1 because the new agreement would have given officers a more active role in deporting illegal immigrants, which its budget won't allow, Lt. Paul Shastany said. Houston probably won't join the program, said Frank Michel, Mayor Bill White's spokesman. The new contract urges a focus on immigrants in jail, or convicted or arrested in drug or violent crimes, not those linked to minor offenses like traffic violations, ICE spokesman Richard Rocha said.    USA Today. 10/14/09.

Las Vegas police refer 2,000 inmates to ICE
Nevada - The Metropolitan Police Department forwarded the names of nearly 2,000 inmates to federal immigration officials during the first 10 months of a controversial partnership that allows specially trained corrections officers to start deportation proceedings against immigration violators. The agreement between the Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officially began Nov. 15 and is limited to the Clark County Detention Center.  Nearly 10,000 county jail inmates through Sept. 19 were identified as being born outside the country or their identities were in question, said officer Jacinto Rivera, a Las Vegas police spokesman.  Police sent the names of 1,849 inmates who were determined to be in the country illegally to ICE for possible deportation.  Las Vegas Review - Journal, 10/8/09.

Arizona Sheriff's Powers Cut
Arizona - The Obama administration is curbing the powers of an Arizona sheriff who has led one of the most contentious fights against illegal immigrants.  Under an agreement involving local enforcement of federal immigration law, Sheriff Joe Arpaio's deputies will no longer have the authority to arrest suspected illegal immigrants in the streets in the course of their duty.  A senior official with Immigration & Customs Enforcement flew to Phoenix late last month with the revised agreement, which the sheriff signed late last week.  "They took away my authority on the streets. That doesn't matter because I will still pursue illegals on the streets of Maricopa utilizing the authority I have as the elected official," Mr. Arpaio said Tuesday in an interview.  The Wall Street Journal, 10/07/09.

Mayor White steering clear of 287(g) concept - Houston
Texas - Two immigration screening programs - 287(g) and Secure Communities - frequently are deployed together, but can be used separately. 287(g): . This program trains local law enforcement to help ICE enforce immigration law, including questioning suspects about their immigration history. Sixty-five law enforcement agencies have active 287(g) partnerships, according to ICE.  Secure Communities: . A technology-driven program that automatically notifies immigration officials when someone fingerprinted at a jail or prison has an immigration record. More than 80 counties participate in Secure Communities. Mayor Bill White is distancing himself from a controversial federal program that trains local law enforcement to identify suspected illegal immigrants, saying this week that he favors an automated immigration screening program in the city's jails.  Houston Chronicle, 10/7/09.

Agencies halt their immigrant scrutiny
Massachusetts - Two Massachusetts law enforcement agencies have halted a controversial program that authorized them to enforce federal immigration laws, thrilling advocates for immigrants but drawing criticism from those seeking tougher restrictions. The Framingham Police Department pulled out this week because the federal government had urged the force to detain and deport immigrants more aggressively, and the chief feared that would erode trust in the community. The Barnstable County Sheriff's Office said federal officials suspended their involvement a few months ago, leaving the state's Department of Correction as the only participating unit in Massachusetts. "It doesn't benefit the Police Department to engage in deportation and immigration enforcement,'' Framingham's chief, Steven Carl, said yesterday. "We're done. I told them to come get the computers.'' Boston Globe, 10/2/09.

Public Benefits

Tougher scrutiny nets few health care cheaters Critics say the rules waste time and money; supporters say they deter fraud
California - Since July 2008, when Los Angeles County began implementing tougher federal verification rules, Rincon and his colleagues have gone back to check the documents of more than 100,000 recipients of Medi-Cal, California's public health care program for low-income residents. The county has received nearly $28 million in state and federal funds to cover the cost of the program and posted 81 people in 27 social service department offices to check documents.  So far, they have not found one illegal immigrant who posed as a legal resident to obtain benefits, according to Deborah Walker, the county's Medi-Cal program director. Fewer than 1 percent of applicants between July 2008 and February 2009 lacked the proper documents but many eventually produced them, she said.  Houston Chronicle. 10/7/09.

FEDERAL ACTIVITY

Census

Census Amendment Stalls Appropriations Bill, LSC Funding
Civil rights groups are urging the Senate to reject a controversial amendment to the FY 2010 Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Appropriations bill (H.R. 2847) currently working its way through Congress. Sens. David Vitter (R-LA) and Robert Bennett (R-UT) have proposed the amendment, which is designed to cut off funding to the Census Bureau unless the 2010 Census survey includes a question regarding citizenship and immigration status. According to Sen. Vitter, "If the current census plan goes ahead, the inclusion of non-citizens toward apportionment will artificially increase the population count in certain states, and that will likely result in the loss of congressional seats for nine other states, including Louisiana." Many civil rights groups argue that this additional question about citizenship will discourage census participation and in turn, undermine accuracy. Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), stated, "The 14th Amendment clearly requires a count of every resident for apportionment of U.S. House seats, yet the Vitter amendment echoes a shameful period when the census counted most African Americans as three-fifths of a person. In addition, many House leaders and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congressional Black Caucus, and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus condemned the amendment. The 2010 census is scheduled to begin on April 1, 2010, and most of the materials have already been printed and finalized. Reportedly, the amendment's addition of a new question would require the Census Bureau to reprint materials, at a cost to American taxpayers of more than $7 billion. In response, Rep. Joe Baca (D-CA) introduced the "Every Person Counts Act" (H.R. 3855), which would restrict the Commerce Secretary from including any questions regarding citizenship or immigration status on the census.    OMB Watch. 10/28/09.

Hispanics urged to boycott census; Many want Obama to act
Angered by President Obama's lack of success in legalizing illegal immigrants, some Hispanic activists are urging all Hispanics to boycott the 2010 census as a sign of displeasure. But they're vehemently opposed by major Hispanic groups, who say it's critical that all Hispanics - those in the United States legally and those in the nation illegally - be counted. Some groups also have asked the federal government to suspend immigration raids while census takers are in the field, hoping that will make illegal immigrants more likely to respond to questions. Meanwhile, a group of Republican senators is trying to have the 2010 census form include a question about citizenship. They are trying to set a precedent that congressional seats be reapportioned based on a count of citizens, rather than all residents. After the immigrant rights marches and legislative battles several years ago, Hispanic political leaders have pushed legal immigrants to apply for citizenship. Last year, they broadened that effort by asking new voters and all Hispanic voters to turn out in the presidential election. Next year, they'll try to show their numbers in the census. NALEO has teamed with major Spanish-language media outlets to push for broad participation. One example is the Univision television network, which will include pro-census messages in its newscasts and its regular entertainment programming.    Washington Times. 10/12/09.

Commerce Department rules out seeking halt to immigration raids to try to improve census count
With the 2010 census six months away, the Commerce Department said Thursday it won't seek a halt to immigration raids as it did in the previous census in hopes of improving participation in hard-to-count communities. In a statement, the department said it is committed to an accurate count of U.S. residents, including both legal and illegal immigrants. Spokesman Nick Kimball said officials will not ask the Homeland Security Department to stop large-scale immigration raids during the high stakes count that begins April 1. That position is a departure from the one taken in the 2000 census, when immigration officials at the request of the Census Bureau informally agreed not to conduct raids. The bureau two years ago asked DHS to hold off again in 2010, but that was rejected by the Bush administration, which said it would continue to enforce federal laws. On Thursday, the Commerce Department echoed that position and said it would not be revisiting the matter. Courant, 10/1/09.

Citizenship and Status

U.S. May Be Open to Asylum for Spouse Abuse
In an unusually protracted and closely watched case, the Obama administration has recommended political asylum for a Guatemalan woman fleeing horrific abuse by her husband, the strongest signal yet that the administration is open to a variety of asylum claims from foreign women facing domestic abuse. Immigration lawyers said the administration had taken a major step toward clarifying a murky area of asylum law and defining the legal grounds on which battered and sexually abused women in foreign countries could seek protection here. Jayne Fleming, a lawyer specializing in asylum at the San Francisco office of the law firm Reed Smith, called the recommendation "a giant step forward." Advocates and immigration judges, Ms Fleming said, "now have some pretty solid guidelines from D.H.S." Homeland Security Department officials were cautious in assessing the implications of the administration's recommendation. The department "continues to view domestic violence as a possible basis for asylum," a department spokesman, Matthew Chandler, said. But such cases, Mr. Chandler said, continue to depend on the specific abuse. The department is writing regulations to govern claims based on domestic violence, he said. The large legal question in the case is whether women who suffer domestic abuse are part of a "particular social group" that has faced persecution, one criteria for asylum claims.    The New York Times. 10/29/09.

End of rule allowing expulsion of grieving spouses
President Barack Obama has signed into law a bill that ends a rule that made newly married foreigners subject to expulsion if their American spouses died within two years of marriage and before their applications for permanent residency had been approved. Called the "widow's penalty," the rule was part of bill financing operations of the Homeland Security Department for 2010. Obama signed the bill Wednesday. Brent Renison, a lawyer pressing a class action lawsuit for the surviving spouses, estimates that the widows' penalty affects at least 200 people nationwide. Because of legal action pending in eight states, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano had declared a two-year moratorium on enforcing the expulsion rule.    The Associated Press. 10/29/09.

President Signs Law Cancelling Automatic Revocation of Petitions upon Petitioner's Death
On October 29, President Obama passed into law Congress's landmark immigration bill that ends the automatic revocation of a visa petition when the petitioner dies. This will provide significant relief to immigrants and their families who have waited for their priority dates to become current only to have the petition revoked upon the death of the petitioner. The demand for immigrant visa numbers for family-based and employment based sponsorship far exceeds the supply.  This has resulted in massive backlogs with immigrants waiting years and even decades for their priority date (their place in line) to become available. The death of a petitioner or principal beneficiary results in an automatic revocation of the immigrant visa petition. Surviving family members were left with no means to obtain immigrant status based on that petition. Unfortunately the new law does not apply to surviving family members residing outside of the US.  But, Congress has recognized that families are being disrupted by the current immigration law and has provided some relief.  The President's passing of the law grants much needed help to many immigrant families.   Reeves & Associates Publications. 10/28/09.

Immigration advocates oppose hike in citizenship fees
Pointing to a precipitous drop in the number of immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship since federal processing fees were raised two years ago, immigrant advocates in Chicago called on U.S. officials today not to raise them again in the face of a looming budget shortfall. Higher processing fees for citizenship applications and other services are being considered to close a projected $118 million budget gap next year, said Chris Ratigan, spokeswoman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Washington. She added that the federal agency, which relies on fee revenues, is required by law to reconsider its fee structure every two years. A 69 percent fee hike in 2007 raised the price of citizenship applications to $675, which Ratigan said helped the agency eliminate application backlogs and streamline computers. During a news conference Wednesday in Chicago, immigrant advocates blamed the 2007 fee hikes for the agency's current financial problems, predicting new increases would deter many of the state's estimated 500,000 legal permanent residents from seeking citizenship. After the 2007 increases went into effect, citizenship applications dropped 57 percent, meaning that much less revenue for the agency, according to the Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights, which tracks federal data.    Chicago Tribune. 10/21/09.

Customs, Border, and Federal Immigration Enforcement

Task Force to Target Cross-Border Crime
A new law enforcement task force is being set up in Detroit to target cross-border crime. John Morton is the Assistant Secretary of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "What we're talking about here is not about slowing every third car down, or making it harder for people to go to and from the United States or Canada," said Morton. "We're talking about investigating sophisticated criminal networks who are trying to violate the laws of Canada, who are trying to violate the laws of the United States." The task force will include about 50 people from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies on both sides of the border. There are two other similar task forces along the northern U.S. border, and a dozen more along the Mexican border.    Michigan Radio. 10/28/09.

Lawmakers Scrap Plan for 300 More Miles of Fencing on Mexican Border
Members of Congress have stripped a provision requiring 300 more miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border from a Department of Homeland Security appropriation bill, saying that the money needed would be better spent on alternative security measures.  If the amendment by  Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) had remained in the bill, tall fencing to stop illegal immigrants and smugglers on foot would have been installed along 700 miles of border -- a plan that many officials and residents along the border have opposed. DeMint's provision said that 300 miles of low-rise vehicle barriers and virtual fencing -- featuring technologies such as cameras and sensors -- planned for the area could not count toward the 700 miles of barrier the U.S. government had promised to build.  The provision was not included in the House's Homeland Security appropriation bill and, when the two bills were melded during conference, seven border-state congressmen asked House leaders to strip the amendment from the final bill. Associated Press, 10/10/09.

Some illegal immigrants to be held in old hotels, nursing homes
Daniel B Wood. A new initiative by federal authorities to temporarily house illegal immigrants in converted hotels and nursing homes is the latest effort by the Obama administration to overhaul how the US treats people being detained for entering the country illegally.  In June, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) directed local law enforcement to release on their own recognizance illegal immigrants caught on minor charges and not deemed a national security risk. Tuesday, DHS and one of its agencies, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, released their plans for further reform. A statement says the measures focus on creating greater federal oversight of the detention system for illegal immigrants in order to improve detainee care, ensure uniform standards at detention facilities, and sort detainees by the threat they present to the US .  The Christian Science Monitor, 10/6/09.

Secretary Napolitano and ICE Assistant Secretary Morton Announce New Immigration Detention Reform Initiatives
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Secretary John Morton today announced new initiatives as part of the Department's ongoing immigration detention reform efforts-enhancing the security and efficiency of ICE's nationwide detention system while prioritizing the health and safety of detainees. "These new initiatives will improve accountability and safety in our detention facilities as we continue to engage in smart and effective enforcement of our nation's immigration laws," said Secretary Napolitano.  "These new reforms will establish consistent standards across the country, prioritizing risk, strengthening oversight and increasing efficiency in our immigration detention system," Assistant Secretary John Morton said. The reform efforts address the seven major components of the detention system outlined in a comprehensive review conducted by Dora Schriro, the former ICE Office of Detention Policy and Planning Director, over the past several months, focusing on greater federal oversight, specific attention to detainee care, and uniformity at detention facilities. DHS, 10/6/09.

Border deaths called 'humanitarian crisis 
The scathing 57-page report released by the American Civil Liberties Union and Mexico's National Commission on Human Rights concluded that Department of Homeland Security initiatives such as Operation Gatekeeper were implemented with full knowledge that the strategies would divert migrants to some of the nation's deadliest terrain. "The deaths of migrants have become an integral component of border security policies, laws and measures," the report said. "Migrant casualties are viewed as an unfortunate but necessary consequence of the global war on terrorism." San Antonio Express, 10/1/09.

Identification and E-Verify

E-Verify extended for three years
A system that lets employers check whether newly hired workers are in the country legally has won a three-year extension from Congress. In addition to renewing the controversial voluntary program, Congress voted to approve $137 million for it over three years as part of a $43 billion spending bill for the Homeland Security Department. The bill now heads to the White House, where President Barack Obama is expected to sign it into law soon. Homeland Security officials say E-Verify is used by more than 126,000 employers nationwide, with 1,000 businesses joining each week. Federal contractors and subcontractors are required to use E-Verify. Critics of the program, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers, say the federal databases it uses are so error-prone that many legal immigrants and citizens are mistakenly disqualified. The Homeland Security agency says the program is 94 percent accurate, but Verdi said that still means about 9 million workers could incorrectly be ruled ineligible for employment. House and Senate negotiators on the final version of the Homeland Security spending bill added language requiring the Government Accountability Office to again analyze the system and how it's used.     Greenville News. 10/22/09.

Immigration Reform

A New Voice for Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Religious Conservatives
In advance of President Obama's and the Democrats' coming push for immigration reform, support for so-called comprehensive reform that would include a path to citizenship for many illegal immigrants already in the United States is building among a surprising constituency: conservative religious activists. The effort includes not only socially conservative groups that have partnered with Democrats on other issues in the past-like the National Association of Evangelicals and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops-but also more staunchly conservative groups and figures closely aligned with the Republican Party. "There was this rhetoric in the last immigration debate that was, frankly, harsh," says Mathew Staver, dean of the law school at Liberty University, founded by the late Jerry Falwell. Staver, who is leading the effort to bring conservative evangelicals and other religious conservatives on board for comprehensive immigration reform, says he's motivated by biblical principles regarding the treatment of foreigners and by a desire to build bridges between the "pro-family" movement and growing ethnic constituencies. But the campaign may wind up dividing religious conservatives, some of whom helped lead the charge against George W. Bush's failed attempt at comprehensive immigration reform in 2007.    U.S. News & World Report. 10/30/09.

Over 100 Democrats Push Obama on Immigration Reform
Hoping to jump-start a major legislative drive on immigration reform in the U.S. Congress, more than 100 pro-reform House Democrats signed a letter reminding President Obama of his administration's commitment to overhaul immigration. The letter expressed House Democrats' "commitment to fix our broken immigration system" and cited "strong support for moving forward on fair and humane comprehensive immigration reform this year." One of the signees, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat, is gearing up to introduce a major immigration reform bill as early as next month. Immigration advocates and their allies in Congress believe there is a window for immigration reform to pass early next year, before midterm elections complicate the political calculus. The recent moves might help Democrats show Hispanic voters that the party is aware of widespread frustration with the current immigration system. But there's still no clear commitment to a timetable for an overhaul, or certainty that it will come. Immigrant advocates know that once health care reform is settled, immigration will compete with other crucial issues, including banking regulation and the interrelated climate and energy questions, for political attention, said Ali Noorani, National Immigration Forum's executive director.    New American Media. 10/27/09.

CNN's Latino special avoids Dobbs
CNN is airing a four-hour special on Latinos in America this week that ignores its own commentator Lou Dobbs, whose persistent advocacy against illegal immigration has angered many Hispanics. Some activists have started an anti-Dobbs petition drive, and an advocacy group's effort to criticize Dobbs within the documentary was turned down by CNN. This week's special has left many Latinos with mixed feelings: proud that CNN talks about issues important to them but disappointed the network isn't addressing Dobbs' position head-on. Mark Nelson, vice president and senior executive producer for CNN's documentary unit, said the special is about Latinos, not Dobbs. Just because Dobbs talks about the issue on his weeknight CNN show, it doesn't mean that anyone else on the network who reports on immigration has to talk about Dobbs, he said. The documentary does discuss immigration and discrimination issues, most notably in the story of an illegal immigrant from Mexico killed by white high school students in Shenandoah, Pa., allegedly because of his ethnicity. Dobbs has said he's not singling out an ethnic group for criticism. But his strong crusade for tightening the nation's southern borders and punishing illegal aliens has made many Latinos dislike him, particularly when he concentrates upon social ills brought on by immigrants. Fox News Channel's Geraldo Rivera said Dobbs "has done more to slander Latin people in America than any other single human being."   The Associated Press. 10/21/09.

Migrant workers bill debated; Farmers, critics divided over benefits of legal residency
Federal lawmakers are considering a bill that proponents say would help to stabilize the migrant work force on which Michigan agriculture depends. The Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security Act of 2009 grants undocumented, foreign migrant farm hands temporary resident status, giving farmers peace of mind knowing their employees won't be subject to raids and deportation, proponents say. Supporters also argue that with legal status, migrant workers would no longer have to suffer unfair treatment for fear of being deported. But critics say granting undocumented migrant workers legal status won't solve the problem of work force instability because if farm hands choose to pursue more lucrative work, growers will be left in the lurch. They also argue the bill grants illegal immigrants amnesty. Farmers say they live in fear of raids and worker deportations, which can create labor shortages and result in crops going unharvested. In Michigan, where agribusiness generated $71.3 billion in 2008, that instability can be costly. If it passes, the bill will legalize about 1.5 million undocumented agricultural laborers over five years. The bill also proposes making the federal H-2A program that gets foreign workers into the country legally less burdensome. It would allow illegal workers to apply for a blue card (temporary residency) and eventually get a green card (permanent residency).    The Detroit News. 10/17/09.

Immigration activists turn up heat; Obama's inaction assailed, but new poll bolsters critics
Expressing frustration with the lack of action by the Obama administration and Congress, hundreds of immigration activists staged a rally Tuesday on Capitol Hill, pressing for an overhaul of the nation's immigration laws to offer a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants living in the United States. The event, featuring participants waving the U.S. flag and flags of several Latin American countries, coincided with the release of a new immigration-reform blueprint released by Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, Illinois Democrat and chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Immigration Task Force. But the drive for action this year could be complicated by the results of a new poll of Mexican attitudes obtained by The Washington Times, which found that a majority of Mexicans say that if the U.S. pardons illegal immigrants, it will encourage more of them to cross the border illegally and that most Mexicans think their countrymen living in the U.S. should still owe their loyalty to Mexico. The poll, conducted by Zogby International and commissioned by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), a group that favors stricter immigration limits, is being released Wednesday. It found 56 percent of Mexicans surveyed said their friends and family would be more likely to cross the border illegally if the U.S. government passes a bill to legalize those already here. Having slipped on his promise to sign an immigration bill this year, President Obama now says he wants to have that debate early in 2010.    The Washington Times. 10/14/09.

Gutierrez Outlines Core Principles for a New Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill
At a rally today on the west lawn of the United States Capitol, U.S. Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL) addressed a crowd of thousands who demanded change to our nation's broken immigration system. Rep. Gutierrez' address responded to a recent call from the immigration advocacy community to introduce comprehensive immigration reform in the House of Representatives. Rep. Gutierrez has been actively talking to advocacy and civil rights groups, faith-based groups, labor groups and his colleagues on the Hill to identify the most essential components of such a comprehensive bill. Today he outlined some of those core principles. In a statement, Rep. Gutierrez said: "We simply cannot wait any longer for a bill that keeps our families together, protects our workers and allows a pathway to legalization for those who have earned it. It is time we had a workable plan making its way through Congress that recognizes the vast contributions of immigrants to this country and that honors the American Dream.  I am preparing such a plan, and will introduce it in the near future. It will include the following core principles:"    Luis Gutierrez Office Press Release. 10/13/09.

Immigration Rally Draws Thousands
Thousands of immigrants came to Capitol Hill on Tuesday for a day of lobbying and an afternoon rally calling for comprehensive immigration reform. The event was timed to the unveiling of an immigration bill by Representative Luis V. Gutierrez, Democrat of Illinois and chairman of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. With President Obama's stated commitment to immigration reform, advocates for immigrants said they hoped to revive a debate that has been overshadowed by other priorities, like the economy and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. As deportations continue to rise, immigration reform is needed now, they said, to allow illegal immigrants to obtain legal status and to stop families from being torn apart.  "We need a bill that says if you come here to hurt our communities, we will not support you; but if you are here to work hard and to make a better life for your family, you will have the opportunity to earn your citizenship," Mr. Gutierrez said in a prepared statement. "We need a law that says it is un-American for a mother to be torn from her child, and it is unacceptable to undermine our work force by driving the most vulnerable among us further into the shadows." New York Times, 10/13/09.

Evangelicals and Immigration
American evangelicals have approved a resolution calling for Congress to approve changes in immigration law. The resolution by the directors of the National Association of Evangelicals passed unanimously. The group represents the heads of 40 evangelical denominations. The president of the association, Leith Anderson, said the system for immigrating to the United States must change. The group recommends laws that would provide a path for immigrants to gain legal status, give priority to family reunification and reduce backlogs of such petitions.  Associated Press, 10/9/09.

Labor and Employment

Economic slump sinks visa program
A coveted visa program that feeds skilled workers to top-tier U.S. technology companies and universities is on track to leave thousands of spots unfilled for the first time since 2003, a sign of how the weak economy has eroded employment even among highly trained professionals. The program, known as H-1B, has been a mainstay of Silicon Valley and Wall Street, where many companies have come to depend on securing visas for computer programmers from India or engineers from China. Last year, even as the recession began to bite, employers snapped up the 65,000 visas available in just one day. This year, however, as of Sept. 25 -- nearly six months after the U.S. government began accepting applications -- only 46,700 petitions had been filed. In addition to the weak economy, companies have curbed applications in the face of anti-immigrant sentiment in Washington and rising costs associated with hiring foreign-born workers. The sagging economy, which has pushed U.S. unemployment to 9.8%, has crimped expansion in the technology sector, traditionally the biggest user of the H-1B program. Political pressures have come to bear among other applicants as well. Companies that receive federal bailout funds must prove they have tried to recruit American workers at prevailing wages and that foreigners aren't replacing U.S. citizens. That regulation caused Bank of America Corp., among others, to rescind job offers to dozens of foreigners. In addition, would-be immigrants from India and China are finding new career opportunities at home as those economies grow relatively quickly while the U.S. economy sags and its political climate appears less welcoming.   The Wall Street Journal. 10/30/09.

Declining number of immigrants likely due to economy's plunge
From 2007 to 2008, the number of immigrants living in San Joaquin County dropped by more than 10,000 people. It is the first such decline in at least five years and one that some attribute to financial instability and lack of jobs in the United States. Several reports over recent months have documented a leveling off of immigration, especially from Mexico. Discouraged by uncertain employment opportunities and increasingly expensive and dangerous border crossings, immigrants seem to be entering the country in smaller numbers than in the past. Most recently, U.S. Census Bureau figures showed a drop in the country's foreign-born population, particularly in California. Immigrants still account for more than 22 percent of all residents in San Joaquin County. But until 2008, their numbers were steadily increasing. Between 2004 and 2005 alone, the county added about 12,000 immigrants, Census records show. At the time, construction was booming.
Meanwhile, the segments of the county's foreign-born population comprised of Asians (36.7 percent to 37.5 percent) and Europeans (2.7 percent to 4.5 percent) have grown slightly.   The Record. 10/12/09.

Military

Military paves way for citizenship for legal immigrants
More than 10,000 legal immigrants in the U.S. military became citizens last fiscal year, the most since the Vietnam War, according to preliminary figures released by the federal government this week. While the citizenship process for some can take multiple years, about 10,505 men and women in the armed forces took advantage of the government's expedited citizenship process for green-card holders in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. That includes 8,850 naturalized domestically and another 1,655 who were naturalized while serving abroad. Chris Rhatigan, a spokeswoman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency that processes immigration applications, said immigrants are required one day of honorable service before they can begin the application process. The $675 in application fees are waived and processing time ranges from just 48 hours to several months. The streamlined process has been in effect since 2002, after President George W. Bush signed an executive order allowing expedited naturalizations for noncitizens in the armed forces.    Newsday.com. 10/20/09.

Voting

Losing the Latino Vote; In the Long Run, the GOP Must Be Inclusive
Mel Martinez's recent resignation from the U.S. Senate was for personal and family reasons. But the departure of the Republican Party's most visible Hispanic leader crackles with political symbolism. In ethnic politics, symbolism matters. And recent Republican signals to Hispanics have often been crudely unwelcoming. During the 2006 congressional debate on immigration reform, Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) grabbed the Republican microphone to call Miami a "Third World country." The same year, Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) darkly warned of illegal immigrant murderers as a "slow motion nightmare" greater than Sept. 11. As Martinez points out, many Republicans who oppose his pro-immigration views are not divisive or inflammatory. But other, angry voices crowd them out. As a result, Republican support among Latinos is collapsing. In Martinez's home state of Florida, for example, 56 percent of Hispanic voters cast ballots for George W. Bush in 2004. Four years later, 57 percent voted for Barack Obama.  The Washington Post, 10/7/09.

September

ACTIVITY IN OHIO

Ohio Action Circle - Notes
The focus of the September 21st meeting was on coalition-building.  It began with a review of the information compiled in previous advocacy meetings regarding suggested coalitions and assessment of what contacts are being made.  Following the review of information, it was decided that the coalitions on which we would focus would be prioritized by the most prominent immigration issues we are facing in Ohio:  State and Local Immigration Enforcement and Employment Verification (e-verify), in addition to immigration in general.  Different members of the circle volunteered to contact each organization/individual in these categories and report back to the group for the next meeting. The discussion on the second agenda item, "initial contact," was limited, as it became apparent that the more important question was "what would the message be?"  It seemed to be assumed that initial contact would occur by the individual Action Circle members, in whatever means they determined appropriate.  Thus, the group then determined some guiding principles. The next meeting will be held Tuesday, October 27th, 4:00 - 6:00.  For more information, please contact the office. 

Leave immigration work to the feds September 24, 2009
Editorial: Despite signs that the weakened American economy has done more to discourage illegal immigration than all our politicians, two local officeholders are campaigning for a state bill that would beef up the immigration authority of county sheriffs. We still think it’s a bad idea. This week state Sen. Gary Cates, R-West Chester Twp., and Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones appeared before the Senate State and Local Government and Veterans’ Affairs Committee on behalf of Senate Bill 150, which is sponsored by Cates. Middletown Journal, 9/24/09.

Ohio immigration bill returns
A local state senator is taking another stab at a controversial change to Ohio law that would give county sheriffs more leeway to enforce immigration laws. As immigration reform has languished on the national stage, Sen. Gary Cates, R-West Chester Twp., said southwest Ohio has seen "a flood of illegal aliens" that "has put an undue burden on local law enforcement and impacted the stability of local services." The bill introduced by Cates would allow county sheriffs, upon request from federal officials, to investigate and apprehend illegal immigrants for breaking immigration laws. Current law only allows deputies to arrest immigrants who commit some other crime. Because deportation matters fall under civil law, they are enforced by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The bill also would allow county commissioners to direct local sheriffs to hold people being detained for deportation or charged with civil violations of immigration law. Cates' testimony, backed by Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones, came in committee Tuesday, Sept. 22. The bill mirrors legislation Cates put forth last year, which passed unanimously in the Senate but stalled in the Ohio House. Last year's bill drew sharp opposition from minority rights groups, which argued this could distract deputies from other duties and breed mistrust in immigrant communities.    Middletown Journal. 9/22/09.

Undocumented got OKs to drive through loophole
Ohio - A loophole in an Ohio policy allowed thousands of undocumented immigrants to register cars and get license plates even though many did not have valid Social Security numbers or car insurance. The practice was so widespread that law officers in other states asked the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles why they were seeing so many undocumented immigrants driving cars registered in Ohio. State Public Safety Director Henry Guzman delayed a proposed crackdown for more than a year after he met with people who cater to such immigrants, including people who were profiting from obtaining plates. Guzman initially requested tougher regulations, describing them as vital to "the safety and security of all Ohioans from a Homeland Security perspective." The regulations were to take effect on Aug. 1, 2008. But he decided they needed more work after a July 31, 2008, meeting with dozens of mostly Latino business owners. Guzman's planned two-week moratorium ultimately stretched to more than a year. The stricter regulations weren't put in place until Aug. 24 this year. After Guzman delayed enacting the policy, records show that dozens of runners were obtaining ever-larger numbers of license plates for undocumented workers, particularly in Franklin County, and were shipping plates out of state. U.S. postal inspectors and police in Hammonton, N.J., reported this year that packages of Ohio license plates were mailed regularly to that city and showed up on cars there. Guzman's decision to change the policy was driven by "legitimate concerns," said bureau spokeswoman Lindsay Komlanc. "Director Guzman agreed to temporarily suspend the original verification policy to allow time for better understanding," with the delay also identifying problems that needed to be corrected, she said. Officials worried that the new process would be unwieldy and could harm the ability of auto dealers and others to easily obtain vehicle registrations, Komlanc said.    The Columbus Dispatch. 9/13/09.

Hispanics in Cuyahoga County weigh government restructuring plans for Northeast Ohio
North East - Viva reform for Cuyahoga County government. The question is, which of two restructuring plans offers the best opportunity for a Hispanic community craving more clout in Northeast Ohio?  The answer went unanswered Monday for many of the more than 50 people who attended a town hall meeting organized by the Hispanic Roundtable to hear about the proposals. "Skepticism is definitely an underlying theme," said Camila Negret, 25, of University Heights. The small crowd at Emmanuel Church listened to a pair of pitches to overturn a 200-year-old county government structure deemed outdated and inefficient for Cuyahoga. The movement comes amidst a sweeping corruption probe that's still shining light on many county offices. Plain Dealer, 9/9/09. 

ACTIVITY IN NEIGHBORING STATES

Proposed Michigan law would require state contractors to validate workers as legal
Michigan - All employers who contract with the federal government recently were required to begin using E-Verify, an online system aimed at ensuring people who are in the country illegally are not hired. Now state Rep. David Agema, R-Grandville, wants the same mandate for those who contract or subcontract with the state. This is Agema’s second attempt at requiring state contractors to utilize it. A hearing was held in August, but no vote was permitted. The legislation was introduced in February. Agema said he questions how serious the Democratic House leadership is about stopping the hiring of illegal immigrants, especially when state unemployment is a nation-leading 15.2 percent. The state Chamber of Commerce, Associated Builders and Contractors, and Michigan Hospital Association are among those opposing Agema’s measure. However, businesses and county officials testified in support at the hearing, as well as representatives from the Michigan Farm Bureau.    Grand Rapids News. 9/20/09.

ACTIVITY ACROSS UNITED STATES