Topics
- Local News
- Iowa Raid Updates
- Human Trafficking and Slavery in U.S.
- Enforcement
- Detention
- Citizenship Backlog
- Elections
- State Immigration Enforcement
- Federal Legislation - Update
- General
- Editorials
Visas denied, dreams in limbo (Boston Globe)
In recent years, an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 foreign workers have traveled to the Cape and islands each year on seasonal H2B visas, including more than 1,000 Jamaicans. Almost none will make it this year. It is a seasonal crisis for Cape resorts and merchants, who find themselves scrounging for last-minute hires. But it means much more to those, like Janet Lawrence, cut off from the work they build their year, and lives, around.
Domestic Violence Rates Spike (The MetroWest Daily News)
Lauby said several other environmental factors contribute to domestic violence, including what she called the "current anti-immigrant population... It's more difficult for those in immigrant families to come forward," she said. "They are afraid to reach out to law enforcement ... anti-immigration is literally killing people."
Courtney, DeLauro Discuss Issues with Connecticut Farmers (Hartford Courant)
Another big issue for farmers — but outside the farm bill — is the status on immigration. Several farmers Wednesday said that without immigrant workers, farms would be lost. "We can't get people who aren't immigrants to do the work," Miller said. "We are a small farming state, but this is a huge problem."
In recent years, an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 foreign workers have traveled to the Cape and islands each year on seasonal H2B visas, including more than 1,000 Jamaicans. Almost none will make it this year. It is a seasonal crisis for Cape resorts and merchants, who find themselves scrounging for last-minute hires. But it means much more to those, like Janet Lawrence, cut off from the work they build their year, and lives, around.
Domestic Violence Rates Spike (The MetroWest Daily News)
Lauby said several other environmental factors contribute to domestic violence, including what she called the "current anti-immigrant population... It's more difficult for those in immigrant families to come forward," she said. "They are afraid to reach out to law enforcement ... anti-immigration is literally killing people."
Courtney, DeLauro Discuss Issues with Connecticut Farmers (Hartford Courant)
Another big issue for farmers — but outside the farm bill — is the status on immigration. Several farmers Wednesday said that without immigrant workers, farms would be lost. "We can't get people who aren't immigrants to do the work," Miller said. "We are a small farming state, but this is a huge problem."
Former Chinese restaurant workers allege mistreatment (Hartford Advocate)
The workers say they worked 70-hour weeks, with some paid as little as $4.45 an hour, and were allowed only two 10-minute breaks a day. Despite the long hours, they say that overtime pay wasn't offered.
Refugees a boon to summer businesses (Providence Journal)
The Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association estimated that Rhode Island employers, mostly hotels and restaurants in Newport and Block Island, normally use about 600 of the temporary employees, known as H-2B workers after the federal designation for their visas. With those workers unavailable, Rhode Island hotel and restaurant owners have been scrambling to find help for this year's summer tourist season.
Iowa Raid UpdatesThe workers say they worked 70-hour weeks, with some paid as little as $4.45 an hour, and were allowed only two 10-minute breaks a day. Despite the long hours, they say that overtime pay wasn't offered.
Refugees a boon to summer businesses (Providence Journal)
The Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association estimated that Rhode Island employers, mostly hotels and restaurants in Newport and Block Island, normally use about 600 of the temporary employees, known as H-2B workers after the federal designation for their visas. With those workers unavailable, Rhode Island hotel and restaurant owners have been scrambling to find help for this year's summer tourist season.
First group of Postville immigration raid detainees deported to Mexico (Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier)
Federal officials deported on Wednesday the first group of people arrested in last month's immigration raid in Postville. The Mexican nationals, nine men and one woman, boarded a flight operated by the U.S. Marshals Service, which runs the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System. They disembarked at the U.S.-Mexico border, and were handed over to Mexican officials, said Tim Counts, spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Immigration Raid Leaves Mark on Iowa Town (National Public Radio)
The plant brought diversity and prosperity to a town with three central streets and no stoplights. But after the raid, many here are wondering if the future of the town is in jeopardy. Some 2,300 people lived in Postville before the raid; about half of them were Hispanic.
Agriprocessors' history should raise a red flag (Chicago Tribune)
"It certainly raises a red flag that this is an employer that doesn't seem ... to have a great deal of respect for the law, despite its statements to the contrary," said Braley, an Iowa Democrat whose district includes part of Postville.
Human Trafficking and Slavery in U.S.Federal officials deported on Wednesday the first group of people arrested in last month's immigration raid in Postville. The Mexican nationals, nine men and one woman, boarded a flight operated by the U.S. Marshals Service, which runs the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System. They disembarked at the U.S.-Mexico border, and were handed over to Mexican officials, said Tim Counts, spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Immigration Raid Leaves Mark on Iowa Town (National Public Radio)
The plant brought diversity and prosperity to a town with three central streets and no stoplights. But after the raid, many here are wondering if the future of the town is in jeopardy. Some 2,300 people lived in Postville before the raid; about half of them were Hispanic.
Agriprocessors' history should raise a red flag (Chicago Tribune)
"It certainly raises a red flag that this is an employer that doesn't seem ... to have a great deal of respect for the law, despite its statements to the contrary," said Braley, an Iowa Democrat whose district includes part of Postville.
Smuggled-Chinese discovered in Texas border town (CNN)
The specifics of how this group of Chinese immigrants ended up in South Texas were not known, but the methods and smuggling routes have been evolving for more than a century. Most pay an average of $55,000 to be shuttled from China to a U.S. destination by an elaborate smuggling operation, said Peter Kwong, a sociology professor at the City University of New York Graduate Center.
Workers on Hunger Strike Say They Were Misled on Visas (New York Times)
The Indian workers, among 100 or so who left their jobs in March, were taken to Signal shipyards in Pascagoula and in Orange, Tex., in late 2006 and early 2007. They said they lived in sweltering labor camps, crowded 24 workers to a room, under curfew and restricted from leaving the yards, with $1,050 a month deducted from their paychecks for their upkeep.
In Wake of Postville Raids, Modern Slave Labor Author Shares Perspective (Iowa Independent)
Bowe, an award-winning journalist, exposes the outsourcing, corporate chicanery, immigration fraud and sleights of hand that allow forced labor to continue in the United States. The book focuses primarily on three cases in Florida, Oklahoma, and Saipan.
Enforcement
Language Barriers May Lead Immigrants to Waive Right to Hearing (National Immigrant Justice Center)
While some detainees choose to sign stipulated orders because they prefer deportation over detention, the National Immigrant Justice Center and other legal aid providers know of many cases in which detainees signed the forms unknowingly as a result of language barriers, disingenuous jail staff, or general misunderstanding of the deportation consequences, including a 10 year restriction on re-entering the United States. Many immigrants who sign the stipulated orders of removal are not aware of their legal rights or potential for eligibility to remain in the United States.
Thin ICE (The Nation)
I documented thirty-one cases from across the country of US citizens, eight born here, incarcerated as aliens for one month to five years. Fourteen were deported. Five remain in detention.
ICE executes search warrant targeting California farm labor contractor (ICE Website)
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents executed a federal search warrant yesterday afternoon as part of an ongoing investigation targeting an Imperial Valley-area farm labor contractor, arresting two of the company's foremen on criminal charges and another 32 employees on administrative immigration violations.
Valedictorian's academic plans threatened by deportation (CNN)
A high school valedictorian's plans to study medicine at a California state university have run headlong into the federal government's attempts to return him and his family to Armenia. "I haven't been in Armenia since I was 2, so I don't really know anything about the place," said Arthur Mkoyan, 17. "All I've seen is just videos my mom has watched on the Internet."
U.S.-born children feel effects of immigration raids (Los Angeles Times)
"I thought, 'I'm never going to see my dad again,' " said Yesenia, a U.S. citizen by birth. As federal authorities expand immigration enforcement in California and throughout the nation, teachers, mental health professionals and immigrant rights advocates are raising concerns about the effect on children like Yesenia who are U.S. citizens.
While some detainees choose to sign stipulated orders because they prefer deportation over detention, the National Immigrant Justice Center and other legal aid providers know of many cases in which detainees signed the forms unknowingly as a result of language barriers, disingenuous jail staff, or general misunderstanding of the deportation consequences, including a 10 year restriction on re-entering the United States. Many immigrants who sign the stipulated orders of removal are not aware of their legal rights or potential for eligibility to remain in the United States.
Thin ICE (The Nation)
I documented thirty-one cases from across the country of US citizens, eight born here, incarcerated as aliens for one month to five years. Fourteen were deported. Five remain in detention.
ICE executes search warrant targeting California farm labor contractor (ICE Website)
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents executed a federal search warrant yesterday afternoon as part of an ongoing investigation targeting an Imperial Valley-area farm labor contractor, arresting two of the company's foremen on criminal charges and another 32 employees on administrative immigration violations.
Valedictorian's academic plans threatened by deportation (CNN)
A high school valedictorian's plans to study medicine at a California state university have run headlong into the federal government's attempts to return him and his family to Armenia. "I haven't been in Armenia since I was 2, so I don't really know anything about the place," said Arthur Mkoyan, 17. "All I've seen is just videos my mom has watched on the Internet."
U.S.-born children feel effects of immigration raids (Los Angeles Times)
"I thought, 'I'm never going to see my dad again,' " said Yesenia, a U.S. citizen by birth. As federal authorities expand immigration enforcement in California and throughout the nation, teachers, mental health professionals and immigrant rights advocates are raising concerns about the effect on children like Yesenia who are U.S. citizens.
Immigrant kids - alone and detained (Chicago Tribune)
More than 10,000 children will be detained by the end of the year, the government estimates, compared with 4,615 in 2000. The Vera Institute of Justice, a New York-based non-profit group, estimates that more than half of these children are not getting adequate legal representation.
More than 10,000 children will be detained by the end of the year, the government estimates, compared with 4,615 in 2000. The Vera Institute of Justice, a New York-based non-profit group, estimates that more than half of these children are not getting adequate legal representation.
Settlement reached in jail crowding suit (San Diego Union-Tribune)
A class-action lawsuit alleging chronic overcrowding at an immigration jail in Otay Mesa was settled yesterday.The lawsuit said the overcrowding at the facility, run by Corrections Corp. of America for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, subjected immigration violators to health and safety risks. It also alleged the conditions violated due-process rights under the Constitution.
ICE to Reveal Some Death Data (Washington Post)
The top U.S. immigration enforcement official told a congressional subcommittee yesterday that the Bush administration will disclose more information about foreigners who die in the sprawling network of federal detention centers around the country.
A Little Humanity in U.S. Immigration Detention (AlterNet)
For nearly 10 years, the Sojourners Immigration Detention Visitor Project, a social justice ministry of The Riverside Church in New York City, has recruited, trained and transported volunteers, matching them one-on-one with detained asylum seekers.
Watchdog blasts FBI immigrant checks (Baltimore Sun)
The FBI takes it on the chin from the Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine today for "serious deficiencies that have resulted in large backlogs and questions about the reliability of the resulting information" on citizen and immigration application name checks.
Lawsuit seeks faster US citizenship processing (Associated Press)
The class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of 33 plaintiffs who have settled in Missouri from Afghanistan, Bosnia, Egypt, Pakistan, Somalia and other countries. It said some have had to wait more than four years to be cleared by the FBI, violating time limits. By law, a decision on processing must be made within 120 days of the immigrant's interview, the last step in becoming a citizen, attorney Jim Hacking said.
The FBI takes it on the chin from the Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine today for "serious deficiencies that have resulted in large backlogs and questions about the reliability of the resulting information" on citizen and immigration application name checks.
Lawsuit seeks faster US citizenship processing (Associated Press)
The class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of 33 plaintiffs who have settled in Missouri from Afghanistan, Bosnia, Egypt, Pakistan, Somalia and other countries. It said some have had to wait more than four years to be cleared by the FBI, violating time limits. By law, a decision on processing must be made within 120 days of the immigrant's interview, the last step in becoming a citizen, attorney Jim Hacking said.
GOP may use immigrant license plan in White House race (Newsday)
One Republican operative tells us to expect McCain to exhume Obama's support for ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer's aborted license plan for illegals - perhaps eclipsing McCain's own past fight with his GOP rivals on immigration. Obama said in February: "We have to solve the overall [immigration] problem and this driver's license issue is a distraction."
Graham challenged over immigration by anti-immigrant Witherspoon (Myrtle Beach Online)
Graham defends his work on immigration as an attempt to confront political realities. In a Senate controlled by Democrats, Graham said, only a compromise has a chance of passing and tackling such a contentious issue shows his leadership skills... Witherspoon's candidacy has also suffered some public hiccups. Questions have arisen about the strength of his past ties to the Council of Conservative Citizens, a group that opposes any form of racial mixing.
Both parties duck on immigration (Associated Press)
"Politicians from both parties are caught between Lou Dobbs voters and Latino voters. Presidential candidates will avoid this issue — both of them — and when they can't avoid it, they'll straddle," said Tamar Jacoby, president of ImmigrationWorks USA, a coalition pushing for an immigration overhaul. "It doesn't pay as an electoral issue."
State Immigration Enforcement
States Take New Tack on Illegal Immigration (New York Times)
Many of the Hispanic immigrants who came in 2004 to help rebuild after Hurricane Ivan have either fled or gone into hiding. Churches with services in Spanish are half-empty. Businesses are struggling to find workers. And for Hispanic citizens with roots here — the foremen and entrepreneurs who received visits from the police — the losses are especially profound.
Sanctions law ruling will ripple across U.S. (Arizona Republic)
[A] year after it was signed into law, the measure has survived a challenge in federal court and is the first in the nation to get an airing before a federal appeals court. On Thursday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals hears the case, which is being pressed by business groups, civil-rights groups and Latino organizations.
South Carolina's Sanford signs immigration bill (Forbes)
Gov. Mark Sanford signed legislation Wednesday that threatens to temporarily shut down businesses and fine them up to $1,000 per worker if they employ illegal immigrants.
Judge blocks Oklahoma law (Associated Press)
A federal judge on Wednesday blocked parts of an Oklahoma law targeting illegal immigration, saying the measures are probably unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Robin J. Cauthron issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting enforcement of provisions of the law that subject employers to penalties for failing to comply with a federal employee verification system.
Arizona Anti-solicitation Ordinance Blocked (ACLU Blog)
...a district court judge in Arizona granted an order to stop the enforcement of a discriminatory anti-solicitation ordinance in the town of Cave Creek, Arizona because it violated the constitutional right of free speech. The Immigrants' Rights Project of the ACLU, with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the ACLU of Arizona, filed Lopez v. Town of Cave Creek, to challenge Cave Creek's ordinance which makes it illegal "to stand on or adjacent to a street or highway and solicit, or attempt to solicit, employment, business or contributions from the occupant of any vehicle."
Many of the Hispanic immigrants who came in 2004 to help rebuild after Hurricane Ivan have either fled or gone into hiding. Churches with services in Spanish are half-empty. Businesses are struggling to find workers. And for Hispanic citizens with roots here — the foremen and entrepreneurs who received visits from the police — the losses are especially profound.
Sanctions law ruling will ripple across U.S. (Arizona Republic)
[A] year after it was signed into law, the measure has survived a challenge in federal court and is the first in the nation to get an airing before a federal appeals court. On Thursday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals hears the case, which is being pressed by business groups, civil-rights groups and Latino organizations.
South Carolina's Sanford signs immigration bill (Forbes)
Gov. Mark Sanford signed legislation Wednesday that threatens to temporarily shut down businesses and fine them up to $1,000 per worker if they employ illegal immigrants.
Judge blocks Oklahoma law (Associated Press)
A federal judge on Wednesday blocked parts of an Oklahoma law targeting illegal immigration, saying the measures are probably unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Robin J. Cauthron issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting enforcement of provisions of the law that subject employers to penalties for failing to comply with a federal employee verification system.
Arizona Anti-solicitation Ordinance Blocked (ACLU Blog)
...a district court judge in Arizona granted an order to stop the enforcement of a discriminatory anti-solicitation ordinance in the town of Cave Creek, Arizona because it violated the constitutional right of free speech. The Immigrants' Rights Project of the ACLU, with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the ACLU of Arizona, filed Lopez v. Town of Cave Creek, to challenge Cave Creek's ordinance which makes it illegal "to stand on or adjacent to a street or highway and solicit, or attempt to solicit, employment, business or contributions from the occupant of any vehicle."
Federal Legislation Update
New Push in Congress for H-1B Visas (New York Times)
The effort in Congress to make it easier for tech companies to hire foreign nationals gained support Thursday from two U.S. senators who are pushing a bill to give foreign nationals who earn advanced degrees in the U.S. permanent residency.
Federal contractors must 'E-Verify' employees' eligibility to work (Los Angeles Times)
The E-Verify system is linked to the Social Security database. Critics of the system have pointed to a 4.1% error rate in the database, often a result of small discrepancies such as a misspelled name. They argue that this error rate means that millions of legal residents and citizens will be forced to prove they are legally entitled to work.
General
DHS Announces Customer Service Improvements to Entry Process for International Travelers (DHS Website)
Global Entry is a customer service and security program designed to expedite the screening and processing of pre-approved, low-risk travelers entering the U.S.* Currently only U.S.Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) are eligible to join.** The pilot starts today at George Bush Intercontinental, John F. Kennedy International and Washington Dulles International airports. Global Entry applicants will voluntarily provide their biographic and biometric information, undergo a background check and complete an interview with a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer. Once accepted, Global Entry travelers can use a kiosk at any of the three pilot airports to verify their identity electronically and make any needed customs declarations.
DHS to Reopen Inquiry Into Suspect's Expulsion to Syria (Washington Post)
The Department of Homeland Security inspector general's office has reopened its investigation of the government's treatment of Maher Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian who, after being falsely named as a terrorist, was seized in September 2002 and sent to Syria, where he was tortured.
2 workers accused of felony transporting (Newsweek News)
Two workers for a Border Patrol contractor were arrested for allegedly conspiring to release illegal immigrants for $2,500 apiece instead of returning them to Mexico.
Death of pregnant laborer (New American Media)
Jiménez, an undocumented farm laborer from Oaxaca, Mexico, died May 16 from heat stroke she endured May 14 while working in a Farmington vineyard. The teen was about two months pregnant, doctors at Lodi Memorial Hospital discovered. Jimenez, whose body will be transported to Mexico today, migrated from Mexico in February in order to earn money to help her widowed mother.
Resistance at US/Mexico border (Latina Lista blog)
... like cactus flowers growing in a waterless desert, there are little signs that resistance is growing. In a significant sign of binational opposition to the border fence, a special vigil along the southern border called "From Friendship to Hope" (Friendship Park in San Diego to Hope Park in South Texas) took place last weekend.
Opinion Death of pregnant laborer (New American Media)
Jiménez, an undocumented farm laborer from Oaxaca, Mexico, died May 16 from heat stroke she endured May 14 while working in a Farmington vineyard. The teen was about two months pregnant, doctors at Lodi Memorial Hospital discovered. Jimenez, whose body will be transported to Mexico today, migrated from Mexico in February in order to earn money to help her widowed mother.
Resistance at US/Mexico border (Latina Lista blog)
... like cactus flowers growing in a waterless desert, there are little signs that resistance is growing. In a significant sign of binational opposition to the border fence, a special vigil along the southern border called "From Friendship to Hope" (Friendship Park in San Diego to Hope Park in South Texas) took place last weekend.
Our lethal policies (Arizona Republic Editorial)
The season of dying has started along Arizona's southern deserts.
Commentary on Postville Raid (ImmigrationProf Blog)
Legally speaking, ICE and federal prosecutors overstepped their powers when they criminally charged the workers. Congress specifically exempted from prosecution workers who use false Social Security numbers to engage in otherwise lawful conduct, such as to procure jobs.
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