Illegal Immigrant becomes a Police Officer

It is just another story of an immigrant who tries to live the American Dream. Oscar Ayala-Cornejo came to the United States with his family in 1991 to the city of Milwaukee.

Being inspired by law enforcement speaker that visited his high school one day. Ayala-Cornejo decided to pursue that career at the age of 15. A big part in his decision was the neighborhood he was growing up in and the want to do good in his community.

As Oscar had decided to pursue this career his father explained to him that the only way he could become a police officer was if he went back to Mexico and applied for citizenship to the country. It was the first time that the issue was brought to him of being illegal in the country. His father wanting to support his son then spoke to his sister and they came up with the idea that Oscar could use the identity of his cousin Jose who had died at the age of 7, due to stomach cancer. This event changed Oscars life.

Oscar and his family preceded with this plan and Oscar changed his name to Jose. From there on he changed his whole image, changed schools, birthday, and treated his immediate family as aunts, uncles, and cousins.

The plan worked and let Oscar into the law enforcement field after graduating high school. Oscar was a police officer of good who did good deeds by the book. Later his younger brother, who was a U.S. born, also was a police officer and worked under the same district as Oscar.

On May 31 Oscar was arrested by two officers who eventually took him to INS and now is facing court with one year in federal prison or probation. Oscar was charged with falsely representing himself to be a citizen. "Assistant U.S. Attorney Mel Johnson said Ayala's position gave him access to weapons and confidential information, although there was no indication he had abused either privilege."

Oscar is now being deported to Mexico and his brother has been fired from his job for retaining information.

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/immigrant-breaks-law-to-become-cop/20071123125209990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Written By: Sergio Morelos

Stopping Cuban Immigration

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a new parole program for Cubans awaiting immigrant visas. Cubans who have been waiting for approved visas but have not received them will be eligible for the new parole documents, a process that should be faster.

The number of Cubans migrating out of Cuba has been a problem that not only the U.S. is faced with. Many other countries, primarily Mexico, is also faced with the Cuban migration that usually arrives in Cancun. Just this year the Coast Guard is at 2,938 detained, a number that has increased over the years. "At least 3,437 more Cubans left the Communist island and reached the United States between October 2006 and September 2007," and this has been by plane, foot, and sea.

The simple explanation for Cubans wanting to leave the communist island is because there is no signs of change. Poverty is on the increase and no other signs of change have cause these people to drastic measures to leave. Also, the dictatorship of both Fidel and Raul has been seen as a step backwards due to the strictness of Raul over Fidel.

"Under the U.S. wet foot/dry foot policy, those who reach U.S. shores are generally allowed to stay, but those caught at sea are usually returned to the island. Those who arrive at land border crossings are generally allowed into the country." Currently the U.S. and Mexico are working on a law to try to stop Cuban immigration.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/v-print/story/318823.html

Written By: Sergio Morelos

Legalization Fees Increase in Mid-Summer

Instead of asking Congress for more money the Citizenship and Immigration Services decided to take matters into their own hands and raise the cost of applications and certain fees to increase their staff. But they were underestimating the workload they were going to receive to their already understaffed departments. Now with millions of people applying all at once before the prices increase again might not have a chance to have a say or make a difference in the 2008 elections.

Many applicants are frustrated because they have had to set plans back to travel due to the delays. Others are anxious because they want to be part of the upcoming elections but it seems like they will just be spectators. At last, some countries and activist are also depending on people becoming naturalized in order to help them pass or at least support certain immigration issues.

The first process, in the whole naturalization and residency,returning receipts for checks written to cover fees, on behalf of these offices, which at this point is months behind schedule. Normally such receipts are returned to applicants within a week to 10 days. Priority is now being given to to naturalization applicants in order for them to vote in the primaries that begin January.


"The American Immigration Lawyers Association, a private legal advocacy group, said it was told by agency officials that 3.5 million applications had come in over a two-month period."

Besides the applications of residency and naturalization, the request for Visa's are always increasing the workload. Due to a current law that was passed anybody traveling to Canada, Mexico, or the Bahamas is required to have a Visa.

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/fee-increase-triggers-immigration/n20071121075809990006

English Only

With the 2008 elections having a great focus on the topic of immigration, an issue has come up in the House and Senate over a law that law that prohibits employers from firing people who don't speak English on the job. This issue emerged from a government lawsuit against the Salvation Army. A Salvation Army thrift store in Massachusetts had fired two employees for speaking Spanish while sorting clothes.

This issue has split the political party just as immigration has. The Republicans support the law while the Democrats are against it. The law has been barred for more than 30 years from employers. But Republicans in the Senate have protected those, from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, from enforcing the rules against English-only workplaces.

The EEOC regulation states that this rule of English only can be enforced if it is crucial to the purpose of the job. But in this case clothes sorting was not. The rules have their legal origin in the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The EEOC says it doesn't get many cases of this type of discrimination and the cases they do get are usually settled out of court. But this case was genuine because they two women had worked for the Salvation Army for 5 years and them speaking Spanish had never been an issue. "In other cases, the agency has defended workers who complained they weren't allowed to speak their native languages while on their lunch break or in telephone conversations with their spouses."

Senator Lamar Alexander, Tennessee, insists that he is not anti-immigrant, but that speaking English is crucial for immigrants to assimilate into society.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-english20nov20,1,6801969.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

Written By: Sergio Morelos

Virtual Fence vs. Real Fence

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a republican hopeful for the presidential candidacy for the 2008 elections, speaks out on immigration. Giuliani spoke in Mission, Texas about having a virtual fence along the border rather than real one.


The fence hasn't been built in this part of Texas, the biggest border between the U.S. and Mexico, primarily because of opposition by Texans. But Giuliani believes that a physical fence is needed in some places of the border, but most of the border should be policed with high technology monitoring. He also believes that this virtual fence is better because it alerts when people are approaching the border.

Even though the Rio Grande Valley is the biggest and most populated, Giuliani did not address the idea of building a fence in that area. Most locals are heavily against building a fence in this area because they feel it would create a "no mans land."

Governor Rick Perry, a supported and endorser of Giuliani, is against the construction of a 1,200-mile wall, instead, he supports fencing at strategic points. Also the belief that if they add more border patrol agents and they tighten security by using this virtual fence immigration will
decline. Starting next year Perry has a plan to broadcast live video footage from mobile cameras on the border between Texas and Mexico.

Giuliani has been heavily criticized for his immigration policies in New York. The "sanctuary policy", which barred city workers during his administration from reporting suspected illegal immigrants who enrolled their children in school or sought hospital treatment. But Giuliani says his approach cracked down on crime.

Giuliani believes his method was the best that addressed immigration in the history of the U.S. While opponents feel that Giuliani's approach created a haven in New York for immigrants. Giuliani said his approach could end illegal immigration within three years.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071120/ap_on_el_pr/giuliani_border_6;_ylt=Ak6OPi_Kc5OTF6T3Wq2nPMBQuk0A
Written By: Sergio Morelos

San Francisco: Immigration Sanctuary

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors expects approval of a bill mandating that identification cards be made for all residents of the city, including illegal immigrants, on Tuesday. LA Times writer, Maria La Ganga, wrote that while this may be big news elsewhere, people expect nothing less from ultra-liberal San Francisco.

The proposition may, however, be big news for San Francisco’s large illegal immigrant population. The new bill would help immigrants to prove residency and gain easier access to services offered by the city or businesses. Supervisor Tom Ammiano has also spoken with local banks that will allow the ID cards to be used to open accounts. The proposed ID cards can be used as valid proof of identification at all city departments or companies with city contracts, unless state or federal law requires other forms of identification.

Ammiano argues that the ID cards may also encourage undocumented immigrants to report crimes that they witness or experience. Authorities have stated that there are likely many crimes that go unreported merely because the witnesses or victims fear deportation.

The ID card bill is not the first legislative action that San Francisco has taken to create an immigrant sanctuary. The city has already refused to offer funds or aid of any type to the progression of immigration raids. Ammiano believes that local undocumented immigrants contribute greatly to the economic condition of the city, stating, “Without the hard work of a lot of people who are residents but not citizens, we wouldn’t have a successful tourism or hotel industry.”

This type of immigration policy may someday make it to our neck of the woods. Executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, Angelica Salas called the proposition a “fabulous idea.” She believed the measure to be a step towards the recognition “that there are actually people who live and work in that city who should not be ignored.”

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-idcard19nov19,1,6845649.story?ctrack=7&cset=true

Immigration Agent Charged With Sexual Assault

It is evident that the dangers of immigration are present when entering a country illegally. Not only putting your life in danger and coming to a country where everything is unfamiliar but not knowing what lye in ones future is something of great concern.


A Jamaican women was being transformed from a Miami-Dade detention center to one in Broward by an immigration agent, 35-year-old Wilfredo Vazquez, who took her to his home instead and raped her.

"A criminal complaint filed in Miami federal court alleges that Wilfredo Vazquez, 35, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, sexually assaulted the 39-year-old Jamaican mother of two on the afternoon of Sept. 21 at his Tamarac home."

Vazquez has denied the accusations and stated that he had only stopped once to get gas. But the investigators found out that he indeed had stopped more than once, and this being in the place where the crime took charge, according to an affidavit by Homeland Security. The affidavit also showed that he had got on an on ramp near his home. The victim also described in detail the neighborhood and the Vazquez home.

This has been the first case since 2000 and now they have removed all females from the Miami-Dade detention center. U.S. customs and Immigration reported that they have fired Vazquez eve since the accusations.

http://cbs4.com/local/sexual.assault.immigration.2.570345.html

Written By: Sergio Morelos

Texans Support Border Control by Water

Texas mayors oppose building a fence at the Mexican border in favor of widening and deepening the Rio Grande River. They believe the fence would damage relations with neighboring Mexican towns and may harm farmers’ businesses by cutting off their line to the river.

Mayors of predominantly Mexican cities have named the proposed fence the “wall of shame.” The mayors said that they are willing to take the government to court if they remain adamant about building the fence.

The mayors believe that altering the depth and width of the Rio Grande would solve all the problems at hand. They think this action would be more effective in hindering illegal immigration. Brownsville mayor, Pat Ahumada, stated, “A widened river would be a bigger deterrent to illegal immigration and the project doesn’t send the wrong message to Mexico that the wall does.”

Brownsville and Laredo are the front-running cities with plans to expand the Rio Grande. The projects would involve tripling the river’s width by digging on the U.S. side and deepening the river to 10 feet at its shallowest points.

By expanding the river, the time it takes immigrants to cross the river would increase by four to five minutes, giving Border Patrol more time to spot border-crossers. Because the river is a bi-national waterway Mexico must also agree to the plan, and, so far, Mexican officials are in favor of the river expansion.

The debates arising now are the safety aspects of the river expansion. Some officials argue that this plan will only result in more immigrant drowning deaths. Rio Grande expansion officials do not agree, but more research is being conducted on the subject before the project will move on.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/usa_border_wall_dc;_ylt=AtrO6E4gTb4UjSVC625ANkJQuk0A

States Could Be Punished for Supporting Immigration

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney promised to cut federal funding for cities and states that are tolerant of illegal immigration. He also went as far as saying that his plan would cut funding for those states that issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and states that allow the children of illegal immigrants to receive in-state tuition discounts at universities.

Romney also outlined a plan to create an employment verification card that, he said, would make it easier for companies to determine a prospective employee's citizenship status. He then went on about tuition and immigration. He said he feel it is unfair the children of illegal immigrants get a price discount on tuition while those children of citizens pay full price. He is not trying to discourage education, hes just trying to make it equal for all.

"The Nevada System of Higher Education does not specifically consider a student's or their parents' citizenship when determining residency for tuition purposes, according to Nevada law." The issue of drivers license is set by social security numbers as required by state law. Democratic opponent, Mike Hucakbee governor of Arkansas, stated that it isn't fair for children to suffer for their parents mistakes.

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/romney-promises-to-punish-states-for/n20071117213209990014

Written By: Sergio Morelos

Minuteman Abandoned at CSULB

Approximately 300 students and faculty gathered at the Beach Auditorium in support or protest of the presence and words of Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project. The Minuteman Project has been accused of being a racist, violent and extremist movement that attempts to scare immigrants from crossing the border. According to Jim Gilchrist’s Minuteman Project website, the project has chapters in 15 states, all encompassing the idea that ordinary citizens should uphold immigration laws.

The event was meant to be a debate between conservative Gilchrist and liberal Enrique Morones, who founded Border Angels, a group that lends aid to immigrants in the last stages of their border-crossing. Within the first minutes of the debate, Morones urged students and faculty to walk out on the debate. He called Gilchrist’s behavior hateful, and began a separate discussion outside of the auditorium.

A Long Beach Press Telegram editorial writer criticized the Morones’s opposition (most of the students and faculty gathered), for refusing to even hear what Gilchrist had to say. The behavior on both sides of the argument contributed to an attitude of intolerance and hate, rather than acceptance that all people have their own opinions.

The entire event was more of a spectacle than an informative discussion. Attendees taped signs to their backs identifying where their parents or grandparents had migrated from. Posters telling the Minutemen to “go home” and likening the group to the Ku Klux Klan peppered the crowd, and Gilchrist dramatically wore bullet-proof vest, to later remove it signifying that he was prepared to sacrifice his life for his views.

Gilchrist continued his discussion for two hours for the few dozen people remaining, emphasizing the importance of Americans’ freedom of speech and assembly.

http://www.minutemanproject.com/newsmanager/templates/mmp.asp?articleid=234&zoneid=5

Democrats still unclear about immigration stand

Las Vegas, Nevada, is one of the first places that the Democratic presidential hopefuls united to debate their difference over immigration, foreign policy and the proper tone of an increasingly harsh campaign.

Like every other presidential debate the continuous attacks on Ms. Clinton continued, now from her democratic comrades. Obama and Edwards stated clearly that Clinton didn't respond directly to any of the questions that were being asked to her. "Asked Thursday night whether she was playing the gender card to garner support and sympathy, Clinton said no. "I'm just trying to play the winning card," she said."

This debate clearly consisted of many topics but the one that just doesn't seem to go away is the one of Immigration. This issue had carried over from the previous debate, the main issue was the issuing of drivers license to illegal immigrants. The issue was presented again but the outcome of the debate was different. This time is was Obama who couldn't give a clear direct answer. He went back an forth on the issue and even gave an example of what he did in Illinois to promote this idea. On the other hand, from the previous debate, Clinton was the one who hadn't given her clear answer and there so so much talk about her not being able to decide on the issue. But this time she clearly said she wouldn't support it and every other candidate agreed.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-debate16nov16,1,1429277.story?ctrack=3&cset=true

Written By: Sergio Morelos

Slim Chances in Immigration Court

Any person accused of a crime, and brought before a U.S. court is provided an attorney free of cost if the defendant cannot meet the expense of their own attorney—any person that is not an illegal immigrant. Of approximately 314,000 people who went to trial in immigration court last year, two-thirds represented themselves or went through pro se.

Lack of proper representation in immigration court is likely to account for unfair deportations and slow trial processes. Immigrants are told by judges that they must pay for an attorney or represent themselves, with little to no knowledge of how to find their way through immigration law. Donald Kerwin, Executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Inc., stated, “How do they possibly pick out of everything that’s happened to them in their lives the legally significant points? You have to know the legal standards to do that.”

Immigration laws and border control have been stepped up recently, and according to Kerwin, even children are being called into court now without legal representation. Many immigrants have been transferred to rural detention centers where attorneys are especially difficult to find, much less pay for.

Immigrant Roxana Velasco recently experienced this dilemma after she was apprehended while attempting to cross the border at the Rio Grande to re-unite with her husband. Velasco made calls to three different attorneys, two of which were asking $10,000 to represent her, and one who said she could not help. Roxana Velasco was forced to go into court alone with little likeliness of eligibility to remain in the country.

Many immigration lawyers say that most immigrants have no legal right to stay in the country, such as someone to sponsor their visa, or claim to asylum. However, Kerwin and other advocates believe that immigrants need an attorney to explain their options to them and to help them build a case if they may qualify for a sponsored visa or claim to asylum. The Catholic Legal Immigration Network revealed that government data proved that immigrants with legal representation were much more likely to win their cases, than those without.

Lawyers have gained little by arguing violation due process for immigrants; so many advocates are emphasizing that legal representation for all immigrants will save the government money by speeding up the trial procedure.

As for the pro bono lawyers and associations handling such cases, Alberto M. Benitez, director of the George Washington University Immigration Law Clinic, says that they are constantly swamped with applicants. Immigration court judges argue that “justice can be done without lawyers, but it’s tedious.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010701281.html

Immigration Reform Unlikely

As presidential elections are coming up in the next year, the issue of immigration is something that activist and lobbyist are trying to bring into the candidates campaigning in hope that there is some type of reform. But immigration is not one of the major issue that will be discussed in the 2008 elections, primarily because the Democratic stand is so unclear on the issue.

Key immigrration lawmakers estimate that there will not be any type of bills that will be presented in the upcoming election that will help legalize undocumented immigrants. These predictions are seen after two major measures were turned down.

The first being the Dream Act which would have legalized college bound students whose parents brought them to the United States without visas and the second was when "Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., opted not to attach her move to give legal status to about 500,000 illegal farm workers to a $283billion farm bill." Another major issue that shows the immigriation isnt priority on the Democractic election campaign is when they asked Hilary Clinton wether illegal immigrants should be granted driver licenses and she failed to answer the question.

As it isnt clear if the issue of imigration is a determinant in elections, it clearly that 2008 wont be contributing to the study.

http://www.presstelegram.com/search/ci_7436808?IADID=Search-www.presstelegram.com-www.presstelegram.com

Written By: Sergio Morelos

Democratic Stand on Immigration Issue

The diverse stand on the the issue of immigration in our country has become a political weapon used by the Republican Party against the Democrats. As the presidential race emerges and the political campaigns are being formed immigration is an issued that can not be put on hold.

Democrats have always been seen as having a welcoming stance on immigration. Their liberal views have helped many immigrants become legal residents and citizens of this country by the many programs and laws passed under their command. With the recently immigration marches and issues that have raised in the last decade, this issue is something definitely in the agenda of the 2008 elections.

"If Democrats turn a blind eye to the public concerns about immigration, it would be a mistake," said Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Texas). Republicans feel that the issue of immigration is something that will give them the win in 2008 because of the diverse political view that is split down the middle in the democratic party.

There has been many immigration issues that have emerged recently that have shown the Democratic unsure views. "In Virginia, for instance, where Democrats took control of the state Senate, one high- profile victory came in the Washington suburbs, where the winner distributed mailings in the campaign's closing days proclaiming his opposition to in-state college tuition for illegal immigrants," and "the Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, and in the presidential campaign, in which party front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has struggled to explain whether she supports the Spitzer plan or not."

These issues an other show that the democratic party is not united in the issue of immigration. The Republican Party will definitely use this as a weapon to win the 2008 presidential election. But the Democratic Party refuses to accept their unsure views and says they will keep their image and not follow Republican ideals as it has been instated before.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-immig11nov11,1,6588376.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

Written By: Sergio Morelos

Farmer is Taking His Business to Mexico

California farmer, Steve Scaroni, is moving 20 percent of his farming business to Mexico because of the insecure labor force due to immigration laws.

Scaroni claimed that at least 50 percent of his crews were short on a weekly basis. He attributed this shortage to tightened borders and recent crack-downs on immigrant employers. Employers have 90 days to fire workers whose social security numbers do not match up with the records of the Social Security Administration. Because 70 percent of farm workers are immigrants, Scaroni said that immigration reform is much needed for his business to survive in the U.S.

Scaroni attempted to solve the labor shortage himself by mechanizing his farms in California, but some of his crops require human harvesting to put out the best product. Scaroni has established five farms in Guanajuato, Mexico, where his workers are brought to the fields on buses from their villages. He is relieved that he does not need to worry about losing his labor force in Mexico.

A handful of Scaroni’s California workers, who were never able to gain legal residence in the U.S., followed him to Mexico to work at the new farms. One of his workers lived in the U.S. for 15 years, but was never able to become a legal citizen.

Starting up the business in Mexico has been costly, but Scaroni believes he will quickly see major profits because he is now paying his Mexican workers $11 per day, in comparison to the $9 an hour he paid his workers in the U.S.

Scaroni believes that the U.S. food source will always be grown, harvested, and packed by immigrants. Now he is just wondering whether it will be grown, harvested, and packed in the U.S. or in third world countries.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/i/immigration_and_refugees/index.html

Center Promises Asylum for Immigrants at a Price

A Florida institution must close for accepting donations from illegal immigrants in exchange for refuge to Canada. Hundreds of illegal immigrants were promised legal residence in Canada by the Jerusalem Haitian Community Center of Naples.

The Jerusalem Haitian Community Center was founded by Haitian refugee, Jacques Sinjuste, for immigrants presenting themselves as refugees seeking asylum. Immigration officials revealed that about 450 immigrants traveled from Florida to Canada with the help of this organization in the last few months.

Some immigrants donated as much as $400 to the center to facilitate their travel across Canadian borders. The immigrants, mostly Haitian and Mexican, were seeking asylum, but many are awaiting their hearings.

Florida State Attorney General, Bill McCollum, believes the organization was engaging in misleading practices. Only a fraction of the immigrants Sinjuste helped to transport to Canada would actually be eligible for refugee status. As a result of the current turmoil in Haiti, Haitian immigrants would be much more likely to achieve refugee status in Canada than Mexican immigrants.

Over $30,000 has already been refunded to immigrants who donated funds to the Jerusalem Haitian Community Center, but officials are unsure of how to find hundreds of other people who gave money to the center.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/10/us/10immig.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin

Immigrants Become Politics—Not People

Democrats are moving away from their traditionally pro-immigration stand hoping for more votes in 2008 election.

“If democrats turn a blind eye to immigration, it would be a mistake,” says Texas Democrat, Chet Edwards, who attributes his House reelection to a more conservative line on immigration.

Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Joe Baca, says he is “tired of people trying to scapegoat the immigrants or Hispanics as a platform.” Baca believes Democrats are following Republican suit in order to win reelection, while ignoring their job to represent the communities that elected them.

The recent conflict between democrats stemmed from the Senate’s recent defeat of a bill that would have aided illegal workers in gaining citizenship. President Bush backed the bill, in an attempt to gain Latino votes the GOP believed were lost in House and Senate elections because of their apathetic views on immigration.

While democrats are shying away from liberal immigration rhetoric, republicans are adopting a more moderate stance on the issue. Both parties are shifting their traditional views in order to gain GOP status, regardless of what their communities want from their representatives.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-immig11nov11,1,6588376.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

Illegal Immigrants Become Easy Targets

A San Fernando Valley couple was apprehended for posing as law officials and robbing illegal immigrants on the streets of Southern California. Steve Leo, 34 and Sabrina John, 32, were arrested in connection with 21 robberies of illegal immigrants, but authorities believe there were many more.

The couple targeted illegal immigrants, including migrant workers, on their way home from work. Leo and John imitated sheriffs in green uniforms, carried a replica handgun, and even kept a laptop in their vehicle to give the impression of running background checks. Sheriff Lee Baca explained the couple’s tactics, stating: “(They) ordered victims to submit themselves to a pat-down search. The suspects removed the victims' wallet and/or cash and instructed the victims to continue walking.”

Witnesses claimed that the operation seemed suspect, but fear of deportation kept many victims from reporting the crimes. Gaining the cooperation of illegal immigrants who are crime victims has been a long time struggle for authorities, especially in Los Angeles County. LAPD officers constantly attempt to balance their duty to protect the people of Los Angeles and their responsibility to accommodate the Immigration and Customs Enforcement on immigration matters.

Local Latinos said they were not surprised at hearing about Leo and John’s operation. Day-laborer Arnulfo Godoy Chamale stated, “I think this is part of the life of being an immigrant. We don’t have any protection.”

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-shakedown8nov08,1,2189298.story?coll=la-headlines-california&ctrack=2&cset=true

Apprehension of Illegal Border-Crossers Down 20%

Officials announced that apprehension of undocumented migrants dropped 20 percent this year, to its lowest point in five years.

Immigration officials announced the drop on Tuesday, attributing the drop to:

1. An increase in Border Patrol Agents: Border Patrol employment grew from 2,500 to 14,923 agents, and 6,000 National Guard troops have also been serving at the border.
2. Additional Fencing
3. Expanded prosecution of illegal border-crossers

A trial program called “Operation Streamline” resulted in the highest apprehension drops in the cities of Yuma and Del Rio. According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website, this zero-tolerance program requires criminal prosecution of all border-crossers, and leads to jail terms as long as 180 days. Before the program was implemented, border-crossers were quickly returned to Mexico without formal deportation. The dramatic apprehension decline in Yuma and Del Rio led authorities to believe that the zero-tolerance program is truly effective.

“Operation Streamline” will be implemented in additional border-towns, but lack of detention space and prosecutorial resources will limit the program’s capacity.

Critics and experts on the subject do not follow officials’ reasoning behind the decline, stating that there is no evidence suggesting that the attributed measures actually deter immigrants. They believe that the new statistics do not paint a complete picture of activity at the border. The fall in apprehensions may be due to a slowing U.S. economy drawing fewer immigrants.

The only city to see an increase in apprehensions was San Diego, which led authorities to believe that the established network of human smugglers in Tijuana is enticing to immigrants.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-immig7nov07,1,7223125.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

The New Hot-Button Issue

Amidst the heat of the presidential campaigns, candidates are learning that a relatively new issue is climbing its way up the priority list: Immigration.

Following the Oct. 5 special congressional race in Massachusetts, Democrats learned that public concern on immigration now outweighs concerns over healthcare and Iraq at the polls. With this paramount information, Democratic presidential candidates are now quick to address the issue and attempt to entice the large block of Latino voters.

The battles over immigration have been alive in Congress for years, however, now presidential hopefuls are submitting their opinions on the subject for public analysis.

New York’s Governor, Eliot Spitzer, suggested a plan to grant people who violate immigration laws driver’s licenses. If this idea became a reality, it would partially legalized illegal immigrants. Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton evaluated both sides of this proposal during last week’s debate between Democratic presidential candidates. Clinton’s failure to take a stance on the issue invoked criticism from her fellow candidates.

Several pieces of immigration legislation have recently been turned down in the House and Senate, including the “Dream Act” which would have offered financial aid for college to illegal immigrants, who entered the country as children with their parents. Failed attempts for such immigration reform bring up the question: Who will act firmly on immigration in 2008?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20071106/cm_csm/eimmigration