CIS: Noticias y opiniones sobre migracion

ICE raid nabs 350 illegal workers in MS (story, link)

CA Rep. vows ‘comprehensive’ reform in early 2009

FL Rep. calls for investigation of illegal's release

US court criticizes deportation of illegal

Candidates likely to shun immigration debate

Obama performing well amongst Hispanics

Poll finds western voters divided on immigration (story, link)

IN legislative panel to study illegal immigration (story, link)

WA ballot initiative would restrict services

10.

RI police seminar tackles immigration issues

11.

San Fran. court gives protection to juvenile drug dealer

12.

Phoenix mayor campaigns for reform in DC

13.

AZ county sheriff says 20% of inmates are illegals

14.

CO city residents wary of new detention center

15.

IA town frets possible immigration raid

16.

Restrictionist rally has low turnout outside DNC

17.

Eco-activists cite flooding in attack on fencing

18.

Poultry mogul calls for immigration reform

19.

Radio host blasts police widow's immigration position

20.

Authorities fret Mexican cartels' incursions into U.S.

21.

Former terror suspect seeks to fend off deportation (story, link)

22.

Border Patrol accounts for all 14 illegals lost in AZ desert (link)

23.

Two youthful defendants in slaying of illegal granted bail (link)

24.

Feds nab 49 violators in Florida imm. sweeps (link)

25.

Illegal admits to child molestation in Arizona (link)

26.

Illegal jailed for traffic deaths of NC father, son (link)

-- Mark Krikorian]

Hundreds of Workers Held in Immigration Raid

By Adam Nossiter

The New York Times, August 26, 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/us/26raid.html?hp

Laurel, MS -- In another large-scale workplace immigration crackdown, federal officials raided a factory here on Monday, detaining at least 350 workers they said were in the country illegally.

Numerous agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement descended on a factory belonging to Howard Industries Inc., which manufactures electrical transformers, among other products.

As of late Monday afternoon, no criminal charges had been filed, said Barbara Gonzalez, an agency spokeswoman, but she said that dozens of workers had been 'identified, fingerprinted, interviewed, photographed and processed for removal from the U.S.'

The raid follows a similar large-scale immigration operation at a meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, in May when nearly 400 workers were detained. That raid was a significant escalation of the Bush administration’s enforcement practices because those detained were not simply deported, as in previous raids, but were imprisoned for months on criminal charges of using false documents.

The mass rapid-fire hearings after the Postville raid took place in a temporary court facility on the grounds of the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo, Iowa. An interpreter was later sharply critical of the proceedings, saying the immigrants did not understand the charges against them.

An immigrant rights group in Jackson, Miss., the state capital, was critical of Monday’s raid, saying families with children were involved.

'It’s horrific what ICE is doing to these families and these communities,' said Shuya Ohno, a spokesman for the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance. 'It’s just hard to imagine that this is the United States of America.'

In Laurel on Monday afternoon, several dozen family members of immigrants waited for news of their relatives at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. There were several small children. A priest at the church who identified himself only as Father Sergio refused to allow interviews with the families or answer any questions, saying only: 'People are afraid. We need to calm them. There are mothers and children involved.'

Entrances to the sprawling plant, in an industrial section south of town, had been blocked off by ICE. A nearby fast-food restaurant was full of the blue-shirted agents, one of whom would say only that a 'little inspection' was under way at the facility.

A woman entering the church grounds with four small children said several of the youngsters’ parents had been detained. The woman, Mary Troyer, said she was a translator for many of the families.

'I don’t like this at all,' Ms. Troyer said. 'I don’t understand it. They have come here to work. It’s very sad.'

The ICE spokeswoman, Ms. Gonzalez, said the workers would be taken to an ICE detention center to 'await the outcome of their cases.' She said 50 would be 'released into the community' instead of being sent to the center, for 'humanitarian reasons,' including medical difficulties or the need to take care of children.

She said no lawyers were present while the workers were being interrogated. 'Everyone will have due process under law,' Ms. Gonzalez said.

Late Monday afternoon, the grim-faced workers, some of them handcuffed, were lined up near white and silver buses as the rain poured down.

In a statement issued after the raid, Howard Industries, one of the largest employers in the region, acknowledged that it was 'visited' by immigration agents trying to determine if its employees were citizens or otherwise legally authorized to work in the country.

'Howard Industries runs every check allowed to ascertain the immigration status of all applicants for jobs,' the statement said. 'It is company policy that it hires only U.S. citizens and legal immigrants.'

Bill Chandler, executive director of the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance, called the Laurel raid a violation of human rights.

'We’re very disturbed at what’s happened,' Mr. Chandler said. 'It’s a real contradiction between our proclaimed values of hard work and family in Mississippi and the actions of local law enforcement, and ICE. I think it’s a real affront to our values. They’re creating their own terrorism by going after workers.'

After the Iowa raid, the federal interpreter said many of the immigrants did not understand the charges to which they pleaded guilty. But federal officials said the judges in the cases believed that the guilty pleas had been made freely and voluntarily.

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ICE raids Miss. plant seeking illegal workers

By Holbrook Mohr

The Associated Press, August 26, 2008

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jO9WZoMijd4RZonKDKU4OabjtjkgD92PIOF81

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Immigration reform faces new president

By Brandi Grissom

The Denver Post, August 25, 2008

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_10302880

Congress can adopt comprehensive immigration reform in the first year of a new president's administration, U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said Monday.

'This has been a mess for decades but it's time to fix it,' said Lofgren, chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law, 'and that is the first thing the new president will face.'

She was one of four speakers at a panel discussion in Denver on immigration and the next administration hosted by NDN, a progressive think tank and advocacy organization. The speakers, including a former Arizona border city mayor, advocated a comprehensive approach to reform and said a new Democratic president would promote a more effective strategy to control illegal immigration.

'It's up to us, working with our new president to put some sense into the whole framework of the law so it works for America,' Lofgren said.

The speakers said immigration law must be reformed before the border with Mexico can be secured.

The enforcement-only strategy of the current administration is not working, they said.

The administration's plan of self-deportation, making life so miserable for immigrants that they leave of their own accord, is a non-violent form of ethnic cleansing, said Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, a group that promotes immigration reform.

'What's happening is a moral outrage, and it's a policy debacle,' Sharry said.

He said the conservative right wing's vilification of immigrants would alienate enough Latino and immigrant voters to give Democrats the political support they need to pass comprehensive reform.

'This is about whether we as Americans are going to include people or exclude people,' Sharry said.

Marco Lopez Jr., incoming director of the Arizona Department of Commerce, said his state has partnered with Mexico to target criminals who are crossing the border and human traffickers.

But the former mayor of Nogales, Ariz., on the Mexican border, said the traffic from south of the border won't stop and the drug and human trade would continue until Congress changes the way immigration works in America.

'By doing nothing it is indeed silent amnesty,' Lopez said. 'People will continue to come because we need them to come.'

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Brown-Waite, Sheriff Clash Over Handling Of Rape Cases

By Josh Poltilove

The Tampa Tribune (FL), August 26, 2008

http://southshore2.tbo.com/content/2008/aug/26/na-brown-waite-sheriff-clash-over-handling-of-rape/news/

Tampa, FL -- When Hillsborough County deputies arrested Rigoberto Moron Martinez on a domestic violence-related charge on Aug. 5, they knew he was a suspect in another investigation in St. Petersburg.

They soon suspected he might be in the country illegally as well.

They let him loose seven hours later anyway. Investigators say that nine days later, Martinez robbed an Apollo Beach restaurant and raped two female employees. Martinez has since been linked to a St. Petersburg rape and robbery, a July 19 assault in Ellenton and a home invasion and rape in Gibsonton, also in July.

Authorities' handling of the case has prompted a round of finger-pointing, including between Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee and U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite.

Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville, is calling for a review of the interaction, 'or lack thereof,' between Hillsborough law enforcement and immigration officials in connection with Martinez's arrest.

She sent a letter Monday to U.S. Attorney Robert O'Neill, saying action should have been taken to make sure Martinez wasn't set free and asking the U.S. Attorney's Office to determine whether federal laws were violated or ignored.

Several Florida women's lives 'have been permanently scarred by these brutal rapes; events that could have been avoided if Hillsborough County had followed the law, reported this illegal immigrant to federal authorities and held him for trial and deportation,' Brown-Waite said in a statement. 'It is clear to me that we need a federal investigation of the events surrounding the arrest and release of this man, and if warranted, new leadership at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.'

Gee said the office followed normal protocol in dealing with Martinez and described the congresswoman's call for a federal investigation as naive and politically motivated.

In a statement e-mailed Monday to The Tampa Tribune, the sheriff's office said: 'Congresswoman Brown-Waite may have been better served getting answers to her questions before attempting to gain political traction at the expense of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

'While she awaits our response, perhaps this elected official can ask herself where she failed as a member of Congress to secure our borders and enact meaningful legislation on immigration issues.'

Martinez first came to the St. Petersburg Police Department's attention after a robbery and rape at The Table restaurant in St. Petersburg about 3 a.m. Aug. 3. He quickly became a suspect after restaurant officials told police Martinez was a disgruntled employee.

By that afternoon, investigators were talking with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office about Martinez. By the next night, the St. Petersburg Police Department's special investigative unit had him under surveillance, hoping to surreptitiously get a DNA sample and find out who he was hanging out with.

Hillsborough County knew the unit was following Martinez and that Martinez was a suspect in a St. Petersburg robbery and rape, said St. Petersburg police spokesman Bill Proffitt.

Hillsborough County sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway said his office didn't know what Martinez was accused of doing, only that St. Petersburg police had an ongoing investigation involving him.

At that point, St. Petersburg investigators thought they were dealing with an isolated case in which a former restaurant employee committed a single crime in retaliation for a pay dispute.

On Aug. 5, investigators decided to arrest Martinez. He was arrested at about 9:45 p.m. by a Hillsborough County deputy at the request of the St. Petersburg unit on a misdemeanor count of failing to appear on a domestic-related charge.

Proffitt said St. Petersburg police notified the federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency of the arrest by telephone and teletype. He said that when the ICE agent on call was notified by telephone that Martinez was a suspect in a robbery and rape, the agent asked whether Martinez had been arrested on a felony. The agent was told no.

The ICE agent also asked whether Martinez had been deported previously and had re-entered the country illegally. The St. Petersburg investigator said he did not know.

The ICE agent told the investigator to send a fax about the situation to the federal agency's call center. St. Petersburg Detective Peter Venero sent the fax about Martinez's situation at 11:06 p.m., according to a copy provided by the St. Petersburg Police Department.

Martinez was released from jail at 4:43 a.m. on Aug. 6.

On Aug. 16, he attacked two Apollo Beach women, investigators have said. He was arrested again on Aug. 20 and remains in jail.

Brown-Waite said she wants to examine who made the mistakes.

'Unfortunately for the lives of the women raped by this illegal immigrant ringleader and his two accomplices, it appears that some area law enforcement officials may not have had the proper training and tools to work with ICE and federal officials,' Brown-Waite wrote in her letter to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

'Hopefully, a federal investigation will identify the areas where Hillsborough County, St. Petersburg and ICE dropped the ball with identifying and deporting this man, and we can all work together to find ways to ensure that it won't happen again.'

A directive from the Department of Justice says that whenever there's a congressional inquiry, the matter must be sent to the congressional affairs office, which must respond, U.S. Attorney O'Neill said.

Gee said Monday that Hillsborough jail officials contacted the immigration agency during Martinez's booking, and the agency immediately sent an automated response confirming it had received the information.

He produced a document Monday stating that immigration officials had received an inquiry about Martinez's legal status.

But ICE spokesman Ivan Ortiz could not confirm whether the agency had been notified. Even if immigration officials had received the notification, he said, Martinez would not have met the qualifications for a high-priority case.

Someone charged with aggravated crime such as rape, a person with a prior felony conviction, or a threat to national security would be considered a top priority, he said.

'I think we do the best we can with the resources that we have,' Ortiz said.

Gee said Brown-Waite's criticism and call for a federal investigation are off the mark, adding that open borders are the problem, not his department's jails or an overwhelmed immigration agency.

In any given year, Gee said, about 75,000 people pass through Hillsborough jails, and roughly 10 percent potentially are illegal immigrants. He said immigration officials take action on only a small percentage of that group.

'This issue is so much bigger than what has been made by Mrs. Brown-Waite,' the sheriff said.

Jose Walle, 13, of Wimauma, and Vicente Reyes-Carbajal, 20, of Ruskin, also were involved in some of the incidents, investigators said. Like Martinez, they are illegal immigrants, Ortiz said.

Deputies don't have access to federal immigration records and have no way of verifying someone's immigration status, Callaway said. However, deputies send lists of foreign-born inmates to immigration officials on a daily basis, he said.

Gee also said Brown-Waite's comments sound like someone running for office. Brown-Waite is seeking re-election to Florida's 5th Congressional District, which includes Hernando, Citrus and Sumter counties, and parts of Pasco, Polk, Lake, Levy and Marion counties.

It also looks like Brown-Waite may have company in her call for a review of how the case was handled. On Monday, Clay Phillips, chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, said Castor is in the process of drafting a letter to ICE.

'We want to figure out how the gaps can be closed,' Phillips said. 'Because it doesn't appear to be working for the community.'

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Judge: Immigrant’s ouster ‘draconian,’ but must stand

By Cy Ryan

The Las Vegas Sun, August 26, 2008

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/aug/26/judge-immigrants-ouster-draconian-must-stand/

Carson City -- By all appearances, Erika Garcia was a typical, law-abiding Las Vegan.

She worked and stayed out of trouble. In 1997, she married Alberto Rincon, a permanent U.S. resident, and the couple had a child.

But because Garcia de Rincon twice entered the United States illegally from her native Mexico, federal officials have been trying for years to deport her.

An appeal to stop her deportation was rejected last week by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which cited a lack of jurisdiction.

'Other than her unlawful entries into the United States, de Rincon has been law-abiding and productive,' the court stated. 'Although it gives us no pleasure to do so, we dismiss de Rincon’s consolidated appeal for lack of jurisdiction.'

Garcia De Rincon has already returned to Mexico and must wait 20 years before applying to reenter the United States.

She first sneaked into the country in 1995. In 1999 she returned to Mexico to visit her sick mother and was stopped at the border by U.S. authorities. She admitted to officials she had illegally entered the country.

A removal order was issued and she returned to Mexico. But within days, she was back with her family in Las Vegas. She and her husband purchased a home and had another child.

In 2002, she filed an application for admission to the United States. After a search of federal records showed her 1999 removal from the United States, immigration officials had her immediately arrested and issued an expedited removal order.

Thus began her court battle to return to this country.

U.S. District Judge Philip Pro in Las Vegas ruled against her on grounds he did not have jurisdiction in the case. But, he noted, her removal had imposed the 'draconian' condition of barring Garcia de Rincon from reapplying to return to the United States for 20 years. Pro transferred the case to the Circuit Court of Appeals.

Garcia De Rincon sought to have the appeals court send the case back to Pro to decide whether she had been denied due process in her 1999 removal from the country.

Judge N. Randy Smith, writing the unanimous decision for the appeals court, said it was 'jurisdictionally barred from hearing de Rincon’s challenge' by federal law.

'So, while the result may be unsatisfying — and unduly harsh given de Rincon’s family situation and a record indicating that she is otherwise an upstanding person — we must dismiss de Rincon’s habeas petition for lack of jurisdiction.'

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Immigration won't be top issue for either Obama or McCain

By Todd J. Gillman

The Dallas Morning News, August 26, 2008

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/national/stories/DN-immig_26pol.ART.State.Edition1.4d84092.html

Denver -- Mindful of Hispanics' growing clout, Barack Obama has vowed to push for comprehensive immigration reform as president.

But energy, the economy and Iraq get top billing at the Democratic National Convention. Immigration won't get prime-time airplay – and that's fine with many advocates.

'There's going to be a lot of meat cleavers that McCain can use on Obama,' said Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., who represents 300 miles of border. 'He can drag that bloody rag of immigration around if he wants to. But we're not going to hand him the rag.'

Just as Sen. John McCain placated the GOP's right wing by promising to control the border before pushing a guest worker program he has long supported, Mr. Obama would alienate swing voters by coming off as too enthusiastic about amnesty for undocumented workers.

So both prefer not to see immigration become a major campaign issue, said Tamar Jacoby, president of ImmigrationWorks USA, a business group that promotes comprehensive reform, which includes border security and a path to citizenship.

'Obama wants to make some promises and not have the conversation go any further,' she said.

The New Democrat Network think tank hosted a forum Monday in Denver about immigration reform. One attendee noted that it was the only event focused on the topic this week

'In the platform, they didn't evade it at all,' said the group's president, Simon Rosenberg. 'I don't think the Obama campaign is running away from immigration. I think they're running towards issues that they think are more salient.'

At appearances in June before leading Hispanic groups, Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain both promised to keep pushing for comprehensive reform. Both sides are airing Spanish-language ads, and analysts say Hispanic voters hold the key to winning battlegrounds such as Colorado, Florida, New Mexico and Nevada.

'They are competing for the constituency that cares about the issue the most, and that constituency could well determine the election,' said immigrant advocate Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice. 'How the Latino vote breaks will have a big influence on whether immigration reform is a first-term issue or not.'

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Obama, Lacking Personal Connection, Draws Hispanics on Issues

By Catherine Dodge

Bloomberg News, August 26, 2008

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a7GNT5eS7ZXU&refer=us

Barack Obama may lack a strong personal connection with Hispanics, but he gets good marks on issues those voters say matter most: health care, the Iraq war, education and jobs.

``I see a sunrise and a sunset,'' said Republican Dwayne Chavez, a 43-year-old blood-bank technician from Aurora, Colorado, describing the differences between Illinois Senator Obama and his Republican rival, Senator John McCain of Arizona. ``One with a future ahead of them, and the other in the twilight.''

While more than 60 percent of Hispanics say they support Obama, expanding that margin may be a decisive factor in the November election, when Latinos are likely to play a crucial role nationally and in battleground states such as Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Florida.

Yet when Latino voters in a focus group in Denver yesterday were asked about Obama's persona -- what it would be like to share potluck dinner, car pool or have him as a neighbor -- there was a disconnect, with many pointing only to his intelligence and basketball skills.

`One-Dimensional'

``We're seeing too much of a one-dimensional Obama,'' said Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who conducted the focus group for the Philadelphia-based Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. ``We are not seeing the human side.''

Hispanics ``just don't feel he's reached out and touched people,'' Hart said.

Of the 12 voters in the group, seven said they favored or were leaning toward Obama, three backed McCain, and two were undecided.

Nationwide, Hispanics are the biggest and fastest-growing minority group. The Census Bureau estimates they have about doubled in number since 1990, to more than 44 million.

President George W. Bush won 40 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2004. McCain, who has a strong record with these voters because of his support for an immigration overhaul that offered a path to citizenship, is looking to match Bush's success.

Troubling for McCain, 71, is that in the 2006 congressional elections, Republican candidates saw their support among Hispanics dip to 30 percent after their party derailed the immigration proposals and called for stepped-up border security.

3-to-1 Margin

A poll of registered Latino voters released last month by the Washington-based Pew Hispanic Center showed they favored Obama over McCain by a margin of almost 3-to-1. Obama, 47, is perceived as best able to handle the issues of greatest concern to Hispanics: jobs, health care, education, immigration and cost of living.

Democrat Paloma Gamarra, 34, a single mother and data analyst from Boulder, Colorado, said Obama is in touch with the concerns of Hispanics.

``He was raised by a single mother,'' she said. ``He knows our struggles.''

If past trends hold, the Pew Hispanic Center estimated that Latinos, who comprise 9 percent of the electorate, would make up only about 6.5 percent of voters in November. There are indications, however, that participation will increase. Fifty- six percent of registered Latinos voted in the primaries, compared with 47 percent in 2004.

Battleground States

The concentration of Hispanics in battleground states such as Colorado, where they account for 12 percent of the vote, makes them a crucial target. In New Mexico, about 40 percent of eligible voters are Latino; they account for 13 percent of the electorate in Nevada and about 14 percent in Florida.

To capture these voters, the Obama campaign announced a $20 million Hispanic voter-mobilization effort in July.

``Hispanic voters are one of the great untapped resources in electoral politics,'' said Chris Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Both parties ``are going to be very cognizant of attracting and keeping these voters.''

Because Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada are battlegrounds and Democrats have increased registration numbers overall, ``this is probably your best chance in a long time to see Latino voters be a critical factor in the outcome,'' said Eric Juenke, a political scientist at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

McCain Opportunity

Still, the lack of personal connection with Obama may give McCain an opportunity to prevent the Democrats from widening their margin of support with Hispanics, and allow the Republican to match Bush's 40 percent support.

Even while most Latinos in the focus group favored Obama, many said Americans wouldn't elect a black president; they also said they were worried about an assassination attempt.

``There are too many closed-minded people,'' said Democrat Alex Moreno, 36, of Arvada, Colorado. ``They are just going to say `No, we are not going to have a black president.'''

Obama's choice of running-mate, Delaware Senator Joseph Biden, was praised by the participants in the focus group. While running for the Democratic nomination this year, Biden, 65, had questioned Obama's readiness to be president.

The Biden selection shows Obama is ``open to bringing in people who don't necessarily agree with him,'' said Democrat Carlos Gomez, 37 of Littleton, Colorado.

The focus-group voters, while praising McCain's patriotism and experience, expressed concerns about his age.

``This guy is already forgetting things,'' Moreno said.

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Nevadans want end to illegal residency

Poll reveals citizens favor border fence, employer penalties

By Lynnette Curtis

The Las Vegas Review Journal, August 25, 2008

http://www.lvrj.com/news/27343794.html

Nevadans and other Westerners overwhelmingly support efforts to stop illegal immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border, including completing construction of a border fence and penalizing employers who hire undocumented workers, according to a new regional poll.

More than three-quarters of Nevadans said they support such efforts, while 71 percent of people regionally said so.

Pollsters asked 400 likely voters in each of six states several questions to gauge how Westerners feel about the issue of illegal immigration, which has shifted out of the national spotlight somewhat since 2006's massive marches and the failure of last year's immigration reform act.

The telephone poll, commissioned jointly by the Review-Journal, the Denver Post and the Salt Lake Tribune, was conducted Aug. 13-15 by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based independent polling firm. The states polled were Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

Although Westerners were unequivocal in their support of efforts to stop illegal immigration, they also said they prefer that undocumented immigrants already working in the U.S. be offered a chance to apply for legal status rather than be deported back to their native country.

Regionally, 53 percent favored the legal status approach, compared to 38 percent who favored deportation. In Nevada, 48 percent said undocumented immigrants should have a shot at legalization, while 42 percent said they should be deported.

The regional results have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Individual state results have a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

'It's a mixed bag with immigration,' said Brad Coker, managing partner with Mason-Dixon. 'People want border security and to have laws enforced, but they also understand there are people here working who are probably good for the economy.'

Pollsters also asked whether respondents felt that immigrants from Mexico and other countries in Latin America have had more of a positive or negative effect on life in the Western United States. Results were mixed regionally, but in Nevada only 31 percent chose 'positive,' compared to 47 percent who said 'negative.'

Andres Ramirez, vice president of Hispanic programs at NDN, a Washington, D.C.-based Democratic think tank and advocacy organization, said such sentiments point to a 'misunderstanding about the role that immigrants play in America.'

'In a moment where the average American is suffering in this economic downturn, people are always looking for a cause to point to,' he said.

Nevada Assemblyman Ty Cobb, R-Reno, said the question was unfair because it lumps together all immigrants from the region, instead of singling out illegal immigrants.

'I have a feeling people were confused by that,' he said. 'We're all immigrants. No one's saying we don't appreciate people who take time to do it the right way.'

Cobb is pursuing a bill for the 2009 legislative session that would prohibit illegal immigrants from receiving state assistance and getting Nevada driver's licenses.

He wasn't surprised by the overwhelming support of efforts to stop illegal immigration. 'It's common sense that you want to have a secure border,' he said. 'We want to allow people in who do it the right way, through a regimented and legal process.'

But Ramirez, who splits his time between Washington and his home in North Las Vegas, said asking people whether they support efforts to stop illegal immigration is a 'loaded question.'

'Of course no one wants people to be coming here illegally,' he said. 'Undocumented immigrants themselves want to stop illegal immigration. Even immigrants' rights groups will tell you we don't want illegal immigration.'

Hispanic poll respondents regionally also supported efforts to stop illegal immigration, with 54 percent saying they are in favor of such efforts. Twenty-nine percent of Hispanics opposed the efforts.

When asked whether they felt most illegal immigrants working in the U.S. perform jobs that others will not take or instead take jobs away from other workers, 50 percent of Nevadans said immigrants take jobs others won't take. Forty percent said illegal immigrants take jobs from other workers. The regional results were similar.

Among Hispanics, nearly three-quarters said illegal immigrants perform jobs others won't take.

The outsourcing of jobs to foreign countries should be of more concern to Americans than losing jobs to illegal immigrants, Ramirez said.

'Many of the jobs we are losing are not due to undocumented immigrants; they're a result of the globalized market.'

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Western voters show mixed feelings on immigration

The Associated Press, August 25, 2008

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20080825-1020-wst-poll-immigration.html

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Committee takes on immigration

By Deanna Martin

The Associated Press, August 25, 2008

http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080825/NEWS/80825035

Indianapolis (AP) -- State lawmakers charged with studying illegal immigration this summer are hoping to collect facts - not political grandstanding or heated rhetoric - during meetings next month.

The summer study committee on immigration issues has scheduled Statehouse meetings Sept. 9 and Sept. 16. The committee's co-chairmen - Republican Sen. Dennis Kruse of Auburn and Democratic Rep. Scott Pelath of Michigan City - said they are considering holding other meetings around the state.

Pelath said the first meeting will focus on the scope of illegal immigration in Indiana.

'We want to find out how many illegal aliens are in our state right now, where they live and what they are doing to earn a living,' Pelath said in a news release this month.

The committee is made up of both House and Senate members, including Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon, a Democrat from Munster who is the only Hispanic member of the House. Also on the panel is outspoken Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, who butted heads this year with several lawmakers, lobbyists and the business community as he pushed for a bill to crack down on companies hiring illegal workers.

Kruse said the study committee needs to understand how illegal immigration affects the state economy, law enforcement and families.

'I hope through accurate research and analysis we'll find an appropriate and bipartisan solution,' Kruse said.

Lawmakers have struggled in the past to find common ground on immigration.

The House and Senate passed different versions of Delph's immigration bill earlier this year, although both versions would have created a three-tier punishment system for companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrants after 2009.

The proposal spurred much political maneuvering, and the House and Senate could not strike a compromise before the session ended.

The issue was instead sent to a study committee. Such committees are often created to inform lawmakers about issues between legislative sessions. Study committees can lead to recommendations for future bills, and Delph has said he plans to propose another illegal immigration bill next year.

Some see the immigration study committee as a chance for lawmakers to step back from the emotional debate and take a more objective look at the matter.

But when it comes to the hot-button topic of illegal immigration, even fact finding can become a sensitive issue.

Delph said during the legislative session that illegal immigration is a drain on tax dollars. The head of the state Family and Social Services Administration estimated in January that Indiana taxpayers spend about $5 million a year on Medicaid health care for illegal aliens, with more money coming from the federal government.

But opponents of the bill said the impact of illegal immigration isn't all bad, because illegal workers fill jobs that others may not want. Several business organizations opposed Delph's bill, saying Indiana's economy would suffer if it passed, hurting both illegal workers and American citizens.

About 55,000 to 85,000 unauthorized immigrants live in Indiana, according to 2006 estimates from the PEW Hispanic Center.

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State Senator Kruse to Lead Legislative Study of Illegal Immigration Issue

By Peter Ambrose

The Associated Press, August 26, 2008

http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/27426039.html

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Immigration initiative seeks state crackdown

Under a proposed initiative, illegal immigrants in Washington would be prohibited from getting state driver's licenses and denied public benefits, and employers — both public and private — would be required to verify that new hires can legally work in the U.S.

By Lornet Turnbull

The Seattle Times, August 26, 2008

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008138605_illegal26m.html

Supporters of Initiative 409 are trying to collect 224,880 signatures by December to force the Legislature to either act on their proposal or place it before voters in the next general election.

The initiative is patterned after a series of measures approved by Arizona voters in recent years to make that border state an unpleasant place for illegal immigrants. Local proponents, who are now attending fairs and festivals hoping to collect signatures, acknowledge that theirs is a more difficult battle in a largely liberal state that has been reluctant to touch such measures.

'Right now, each state more or less decides whether they'll abide by federal law,' said Hal Washburn, of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, one of the initiative backers and a civilian group that monitors the borders.

'The federal government is letting employers slide,' he said. 'We'd like to see our laws enforced, and we'd like to get the Legislature on record as to where they stand on these issues.'

Dianne Aid, an immigrant advocate with St. Matthew's Church in Auburn, said she was approached at the recent Kent Cornucopia Days festival by a signature collector.

Initiative backers are waging a campaign of misinformation to scare people, she said, pointing out that rules exist to prevent illegal immigrants from benefiting from public assistance.

But those backers cite a state auditor's report that shows illegal immigrants benefited from $103 million in health-care services in 2004.

Aid called the provisions of the initiative inhumane and impractical.

'If we are going to enact these oppressive acts against immigrants, then we need to take a deeper look at our responsibility in creating this immigration crisis,' she said.

The Minuteman group has teamed up with two others opposed to illegal immigration: Washingtonians for Immigration Reform and Grassroots of Yakima Valley.

Under their initiative:

* Applicants for a driver's license in the state would have to provide proof of citizenship.

* State agencies would be required to verify the lawful presence of anyone 14 or older seeking local, state or federal benefits they administer, not including emergency care.

* All state agencies, including law enforcement, would be required to cooperate with immigration authorities in enforcing immigration law. The measure would make Seattle and King County's sanctuary-city protections null and void.

* Employers would be required to use a federal program called E-Verify to ensure anyone they hire is legally able to work in this country. Those failing to comply with the law could lose their business licenses.

Currently, 885 employers in Washington state use E-Verify, more than triple the number doing so just a year ago, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

'This is a big job, but we know there are people out there who would sign this,' Washburn said. 'It's a matter of having enough of us out there to do it.'

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10.

Immigrant focus puts police in tough spot

By Amanda Milkovits

The Providence Journal, August 24, 2008

http://www.projo.com/news/content/police_immigration_24_08-24-08_FRB9PQF_v34.3885cbf.html

A police officer stops a car for a minor traffic violation and asks the driver for his license and registration. The driver has an expired license and speaks little English. The three passengers are uneasy and uncommunicative.

The officer needs to know who the driver is and whether he is wanted for any crimes. Should the officer also ask what country the driver is from and whether he’s a legal citizen here? Should he ask the same questions of the passengers?

This was the kind of scenario discussed by police commanders from around Rhode Island last week at a seminar sponsored by the state police.

For police, dealing with the complexities of illegal immigration requires striking a balance between civil liberties and upholding the law, says Warwick Police Chief Stephen McCartney, the president of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association.

Police officials interviewed recently by The Journal say they are caught in the middle of the heated and unresolved national debate over illegal immigration. Immigrant advocates sometimes accuse them of racial profiling when they arrest an illegal immigrant for a crime or assist U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Advocates for stricter enforcement of immigration laws pressure them to raid businesses suspected of employing illegal immigrants.

The police officials say they are only interested in arresting criminals; if they find the suspects are also illegal immigrants, they’ll contact ICE for further action.

“I’m not a zealot. I’m not planning on raiding any factories. I’m not planning on setting my troopers on the highway looking for illegals,” said Col. Brendan Doherty, superintendent of the state police. “But I will, in the performance of duties, have troopers follow through on an arrest.”

Others expressed concerns that their cooperation with federal authorities might deter witnesses or victims of crimes from coming forward because they fear deportation. Five years ago, a Guatemalan man who had reentered the country illegally was deported again after he testified as a witness to a murder in Central Falls.

“We do not have a policy, procedure or habit of checking [the immigration status of] people who call the police,” said Pawtucket police Capt. John Seebeck. “We do not run witnesses, complainants or victims. We can’t operate that way. If you do that, are you going to get the help you need [in the community]?”

Governor Carcieri’s March executive order on immigration directed the state police and state correctional officers to work with federal authorities to enforce some aspects of immigration law. The order also urged local police departments to investigate and determine the immigration status of anyone they take into custody, incarcerate, or investigate for any crime, and then notify federal authorities of those found to be illegal immigrants. The Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association backed that specific directive.

“We’re not looking for illegals on the basis of being illegal. We’re looking for criminals,” said Central Falls Chief Joseph Moran. “The people from their own nationality don’t want [the criminals] here. They want the white picket fence and the American dream.”

Providence Police Chief Dean M. Essserman has warned about a “chilling effect” if police were perceived as checking the immigration status of people without cause. Last week, Esserman attended a national conference on immigration policing and civil liberties sponsored by the Police Foundation in Washington, D.C., where police officials from around the country voiced the same concerns.

“We’re not proactively doing immigrant raids, or searching out people as if we’re the federal immigration police,” Esserman said. “Police across this country have been spending years in the community policing environment, working to develop trust with the community so they will report crime to us. Our job is to fight crime. But if we encounter you having committed a criminal act, then we want to know everything about you.”

THE ARREST of a Guatemalan immigrant named Marco Riz on rape and kidnapping charges this summer focused attention on how the police handle illegal immigrants they encounter. Over the last five years, Riz had been arrested by two police departments in Rhode Island and ordered deported by ICE. But he was never removed from the country.

The police in East Providence arrested him in 2003 for driving with a suspended license. The Providence police arrested him twice last year for assault and driving while intoxicated. ICE had issued a deportation order for Riz in 2004, which was upheld by a federal immigration judge last October –– a month after he’d been arrested for the second time in Providence. Riz remained in Rhode Island.

Two months ago, Riz allegedly carjacked a woman in Warwick and raped her in Providence’s Roger Williams Park. Facing questions about why Riz hadn’t been deported, ICE blamed the Providence police for not checking Riz’s immigration status when he was arrested last year.

Carcieri cited the case on local talk radio and national cable television programs, accusing Esserman and Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline of “being in the Dark Ages” on illegal immigration.

Cicilline defended the Police Department, noting that ICE had Riz in custody but let him go. Esserman said that when his department arrested Riz, it had followed a long-established procedure –– followed by other police departments in the state –– of faxing daily arraignment sheets to ICE for the federal agency to check for immigration violators. The Providence police also hadn’t found any warrants from ICE in a national criminal database.

Police officials say they routinely check the identities and fingerprints of suspects through national databases. If they find warrants from other agencies, they’ll contact those departments for possible further action.

If a suspect says he or she is foreign-born, the police will send an electronic query through the NLETS telecommunications system, which contacts the Law Enforcement Support Center administered by ICE. The Law Enforcement Support Center has access to about 100 million records of immigrant files kept by the Department of Homeland Security, including more than 250,000 previously deported felons, immigration fugitives and wanted criminals. It reports back on the suspect’s immigration status and also notifies the regional ICE office of the suspect’s arrest.

The Providence police used to just call ICE with questions, but the department began using NLETS last month, following the controversy over the Riz case. Other departments say they’ve used it a handful of times over the last year. Some chiefs say the response takes anywhere from a half-hour to four hours, so the police call the ICE agent on duty instead.

Even when ICE has a warrant, or the person’s immigration status is in question, the federal agency may tell the police to let the person go, the police chiefs say. “Our obligation to the feds ends when we notify them we’ve arrested an alien for a crime,” said Seebeck, of the Pawtucket police.

Illegal immigration is not a new issue for local law enforcement agencies. Twenty years ago, when an immigration agent was stationed at the Providence Police Department, the police caught a Peruvian national who was wanted for bank robbery and murder in Venezuela. Until recently, ICE had an agent working directly in the courts. He has since retired; his replacement is assigned to review the database of the Adult Correctional Institutions, looking for immigration violators among the inmates.

ICE asks the police departments to take the lead and call about suspects with questionable IDs, gang members or other criminals. Bruce Foucart, special agent from ICE’s Office of Investigations in Boston, stressed that ICE asks the police to focus on illegal immigrants involved in crime. “We don’t have the resources for you to focus on non-criminal activity,” Foucart said he tells the officers.

ICE can offer the police leverage, Foucart said. “Often in gang settings, they don’t rise to the level of federal prosecution,” Foucart said. “We’ll tell them, let us use our immigration authority. We’ll check on their status –– if they have criminal convictions, we’ll target them, get them off the streets of their communities.”

Meanwhile, as directed by the governor’s executive order, the state police and the Department of Corrections have applied, under the federal 287(g) program, for training in immigration issues. Those certified in the program are given access to the immigration databases maintained by ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, and, under the supervision of ICE, are trained in identifying and detaining alleged violators.

The state police and the ACI will each send 8 to 10 employees for five weeks of training; they are waiting to be accepted into the program. For ICE, having local police trained in the program is a “force multiplier,” Foucart said. Doherty sees the program as another investigative tool.

Other police chiefs aren’t interested. They say they don’t have the resources to have officers cross-deputized to a federal agency. Despite the public perception, the chiefs say, illegal immigrants make up a very small percentage of their criminals.

In Central Falls, Moran worries about the poor economy, drugs, the lack of education and jobs, and the impact of having more than 100 boarded-up houses in the small city. Economic factors are driving the city’s crime rate, not illegal immigration, he says.

Illegal immigration “is a national issue,” Moran said. “The problem is, it has to be dealt with on a national level as well. We’re trying to take care of our city and keep it safe.”

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11.

Court rules S.F. teen illegal needs services

By Jaxon Van Derbeken

The San Francisco Chronicle (CA), August 26, 2008

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/08/26/MNKN12AFM3.DTL

A San Francisco court set aside a drug-trafficking case Monday against a 14-year-old Honduran immigrant - a ruling that juvenile justice officials fear will undermine Mayor Gavin Newsom's new policy requiring that such offenders be held for possible deportation.

Juvenile Court Commissioner Abby Abinanti concluded that the youth, identified only as Francisco G. because of his age, should be treated within the social welfare system, not as a criminal offender. If federal authorities don't intervene, the ruling would almost certainly allow him to remain in this country.

Abinanti issued her ruling after a social services official and a city attorney's representative on an advisory panel reviewed the youth's history and concluded that he should be considered a victim and thus be entitled to receive social welfare services.

Prosecutors and a third member of the panel, a Juvenile Probation Department representative, objected, citing the youth's immigration status. In the end, Abinanti ordered that the youth be turned over immediately to social workers for possible placement in a group home, according to authorities who spoke on condition of anonymity because juvenile proceedings are closed to the public.

Abinanti, through a court spokeswoman, declined to comment.

Feds see ulterior motives

Federal officials assert that placing young felons in group homes amounts to a violation of U.S. law prohibiting the aiding and abetting of illegal immigrants. They suspect that declaring drug dealers to be innocent victims is an end run around the requirement that such immigrants be handed over for possible deportation.

Monday's ruling fueled such criticism.

'I am concerned that there are people who are still attempting to find strategems to avoid compliance with federal law,' said Joseph Russoniello, the U.S. attorney for Northern California, who faulted San Francisco's past practice of shielding juvenile offenders from deportation.

Advocates for youths in the juvenile courts maintain that many of the immigrant teenagers accused of drug dealing, rather than being hardened criminals, are victims of abuse, abandonment or human trafficking. They say the youths should be allowed to make a case for asylum rather than being turned over for deportation hearings.

The issue is playing out in court after articles in The Chronicle revealed that the city, which has touted itself as a sanctuary for immigrants, was paying for flights and group-home placements for illegal immigrant youths caught dealing drugs rather than turning them over for deportation.

Being deported could result in the youths being legally prevented from ever returning to the United States.

After the stories appeared, Newsom announced that he had switched course and ordered juvenile justice officials to cooperate with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. A spokesman would not talk about the case heard Monday but emphasized the mayor's policy change.

'City officials have been directed by the mayor to refer all undocumented felons to immigration, regardless of age,' spokesman Nathan Ballard said. He said any contrary effort would be 'inconsistent with city policy.'

Boy could still be deported

Juvenile probation authorities referred Francisco G. to federal officials for possible deportation after he was arrested last month, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have placed a hold on the boy.

However, federal agents typically consider youths who are victims of abuse or neglect to be a lower priority for deportation than those found to have committed felonies such as drug dealing.

Francisco G.'s status is unclear in the wake of Abinanti's ruling Monday. It is possible that federal authorities will exercise their immigration hold on him and take custody of the boy before he is turned over to social service officials in the city.

Attorneys for Francisco G. petitioned Abinanti to set aside his criminal case for six months to allow him to be put in foster care while he seeks asylum in the United States. They say he is abandoned, has no way of contacting his parents in Honduras and wants to 'better himself and his situation through the foster care system.'

Francisco G.'s case was one of several since Newsom's policy reversal in which the public defender's office has petitioned courts to set aside criminal charges and allow immigrant offenders to be put in unlocked foster care homes while on informal probation.

Drug offenders are typically not entitled to such treatment. Under state law, a judge can set aside drug cases only after finding that special circumstances exist to merit such action 'in the interests of justice.'

Dealing crack in Tenderloin

The Honduran youth was arrested July 17 in the Tenderloin on suspicion of dealing crack cocaine, a felony. Officers saw him spit out a rock of crack and then hand it to a dealer, who sold to undercover officers, police reports say.

The assistant chief of the Juvenile Probation Department, Allen Nance, told Newsom in a recent memo that the public defender's efforts on behalf of Francisco G. showed how some immigrant youth advocates were trying 'to circumvent the intentions of the mayor as it relates to undocumented minors involved in illegal drug sales.'

'If this minor returns to the community, I am very concerned that he will run from a nonsecure environment,' such as a group home, Nance wrote. 'Further, our office is not in a position to effectively provide supervision services to an undocumented person without the risk of violating federal law.'

Public Defender Jeff Adachi declined to comment. Deputy Public Defender Lisa Katz argued that Francisco G. has no criminal history and came to the United States to avoid beatings at the hands of gang members in Honduras.

In urging that the drug-dealing case be set aside, Katz said the boy was 'well-suited for informal probation.'

She argued that allowing him to be released 'would not place the public in danger' as he is 'remorseful for his actions and has a desire to better himself and his situation through the foster care system. His ambitions are strong indications that the public will not suffer further transgressions of the law.'

Mother left for Spain

The boy was abandoned in Honduras by his mother, who moved to Spain, and was repeatedly beaten and harassed by gang members who stole the money she sent back to him, Katz said.

Because he is abandoned, Katz said, 'like any child within our jurisdiction without a parent or guardian, he deserves the opportunity to go into foster care.'

Youths who are declared victims of abandonment in juvenile criminal proceedings are sent into the social welfare system and are removed from juvenile hall.

Russoniello said immigration authorities evaluate such cases to determine whether children are abandoned.

'When someone convinces ICE that the youth is truly dependent, they would be a low-priority for deportation,' Russoniello said. 'But that is going to be the exception, considering the police are catching these guys trafficking in drugs.'

'I am concerned that there are people who are still attempting to find strategems to avoid compliance with federal law.'

Joseph Russoniello, U.S. attorney for Northern California

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12.

Phoenix mayor pushes border issues in D.C. talk

The Associated Press, August 25, 2008

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/border/254359

Phoenix (AP) -- Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, in a keynote address in Washington, demanded Congress to break its stalemate on immigration reform and relieve local jurisdictions of burdens caused by incoherent federal policies.

'I am calling upon this Congress and the next one, this president and the next one, to make the dual issues of border security and immigration reform their first order of business,' Gordon said Thursday during a conference of the Police Foundation, a private organization that seeks to improve policing techniques across the country.

Gordon accused federal lawmakers of not comprehending the intensity of the problems festering nationally.

He declared his support for comprehensive reforms that would strengthen border controls while providing illegal immigrants with a path to legalization and establishing a guest-worker program.

Gordon blamed Congress for the flourishing trade in smuggling illegal immigrants that he said has forced the city to spend millions to help combat the smugglers and related crimes such as extortion and kidnapping schemes.

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13.

Arpaio: 20 percent of county jail prisoners are illegal immigrants

By Mike Sunnucks

The Phoenix Business Journal, August 25, 2008

http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2008/08/25/daily16.html

Twenty percent of the 10,000 inmates now in Maricopa County jails are illegal immigrants, according to Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Arpaio said Monday there are roughly 2,000 illegal immigrants in his jails with 70 percent of them held on felony charges. The MCSO said the drug offense, forgery, kidnapping, DUI and aggravated assault are the most common reasons illegals are arrested in the Valley.

Arizona is a major entry point for undocumented workers, smugglers and drug traffickers entering the U.S.. Phoenix has a number of drop houses where undocumented workers are housed and sometimes held by human smugglers after they enter the U.S.

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14.

Immigration detention site is moving in

Arapahoe County neighbors fear the ICE facility will diminish property values, increase traffic and risk safety.

By Carlos Illescas

The Denver Post, August 25, 2008

http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_10292643

Centennial -- On one side of Peoria Street just east of Arapahoe Road is a strip mall, then a horse stable area to the north, next to some town homes and single-family units.

On the other side of Peoria is a new greenbelt area just south of Cherry Creek State Park, complete with a meandering creek with a trail for residents to hike, bike or walk their dogs.

But just south of that is a new neighbor that has some area residents asking questions: an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office building that will also serve as a processing area for illegal immigrants who are being detained. It's currently about half-built.

'It's very close to our neighborhood, and we didn't know what was going on,' said Deb Spors, who lives in unincorporated Arapahoe County near the site. 'And we don't know what kind of people are going to be detained there. Are they criminals?'

The new ICE office will be a two-story, 53,000-square-foot building on 5 acres in Centennial. It will be mainly for ICE office personnel.

But a quarter of the facility will be used for detention, as ICE agents process illegal immigrants to the main detention center in Aurora. There won't be a tall, barbed-wire fence. Instead, fences will be wrought iron and seven feet tall.

Carl Rusnok, regional ICE spokesman, said immigrants detained there will held for a maximum of 10 hours, and likely much less than that, before they are shipped to Aurora.

'Nobody is going to be housed there overnight,' he said.

The city planning and zoning commission signed off in November. There were few complaints from Centennial residents during the public-hearing process, as the area is already a mix of commercial and light industrial.

But across the street from the new site is the city of Greenwood Village and unincorporated Arapahoe County, where numerous people live.

Some of those folks say Centennial should have included them in the process. Now they wonder about traffic in the area, safety, and even if their home values will decrease because of the ICE facility.

'There are a bunch of concerns when you have a facility that has the potential for detaining people,' said Diana Botten, who lives across from the new ICE facility in the Windemere neighborhood in Greenwood Village.

Immigrants being processed at the Centennial site will be bused there, then processed inside the facility. There will be no visitation, which has been a concern at other ICE sites where families who visit detainees can clog the streets.

'It's not meant to be anything like that,' Rusnok said.

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15.

Town wonders if it's next to face immigration raid

By Henry C. Jackson

The Associated Press, August 26, 2008

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hEDkwmO0OBqZ38rnoETWb05eEIewD92PRJCG0

Perry, IA (AP) -- Immigration agents had barely left Postville when word hit Perry, about 200 miles to the southwest, that another raid was coming.

The rumor, which turned out to be false, spread like prairie fire through this central Iowa city's Hispanic community, reflecting a new reality for many small towns that can't be shaken.

In places like Perry, where Hispanics now make up at least a quarter of the population, residents are left wondering, 'Are we next?'

'We are more vulnerable now,' asked Angelica Cardenas, 28, who works in Perry's school system. 'There is always fear of something like this, but with these raids, we know now it's real.'

The government's shift to high-profile immigration raids — 389 people were arrested at Postville's Agriprocessors Inc. on May 12, and 350 were rounded up at Howard Industries Inc. of Laurel, Miss., on Monday — has instilled fear in towns across the country.

'These raids have really highlighted the difficulties towns face in this situation,' said Ana-Maria Garcia Wahl, an associate professor of sociology at Wake Forest University who studies immigration issues in the Midwest and South. 'I'm not sure all of these towns have an ability to cope and provide the crisis intervention.'

Postville has lost more than a quarter of its pre-raid population of 2,300. Besides the detained workers, scores more fled or went into hiding.

People were pushed out of jobs and homes. Children were separated from parents. Businesses verged toward collapse.

Like Postville, Perry has been subjected to a sweeping demographic shift brought on by a meatpacking plant on the outskirts of town.

The Hispanic community in the city, which has about 7,600 residents, has grown gradually over the past 20 years, officials said.

'It's a different community than when I was growing up, for sure,' said Brett Roberts, who works at an insurance company in Perry. 'That's not a bad thing, but it's a fact.'

The city's relatively newfound diversity can be seen on the streets, where the six-block downtown is home to a half-dozen Hispanic businesses, including a popular Mexican restaurant and a bakery a few doors down.

The plant that attracted most of the Hispanics sits a little more than a mile away. It was built by Oscar Meyer and has been around for decades, though its ownership has switched hands several times.

Tyson Foods Inc., which took over the plant in 2001, uses it to produce pork products. With about 1,200 workers, the plant is Perry's largest employer.

When Mayor Viivi Shirley watched TV news reports of the Postville raid, one of her first thoughts was, 'Thank God it wasn't Perry.'

Soon after hearing about the raid at Agriprocessors, where more than half the employees were found to be illegal immigrants, Shirley sought out the Tyson plant's manager to ask about the legal status of its workers.

She left that meeting satisfied that Tyson's house was in order, but she was still unnerved by the thought of a raid in her town. Shirley said she's proud of the way newer Hispanic residents have melded with Perry's older, mostly Caucasian residents and fears a raid would undo years of progress.

For their part, Tyson officials say they are confident their workers are in the country legally.

Applicants must go through a federally backed immigration verification system, Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson said. The company's starting wages range from $10 to $13.65 an hour, with benefits such as health insurance and paid vacations and holidays.

'We have zero tolerance for employing people who are not authorized to work in the U.S. and use all available tools provided by the U.S. government to verify the documents of the people we hire,' Mickelson said.

He said audits at Tyson facilities are conducted regularly, including some by an outside company.

Shirley and others in town are not naive.

Police Chief Dan Brickner is matter of fact when asked if there are illegal residents in the city: 'Yeah. I'm sure there are.'

After seeing two large-scale raids in Iowa in a little more than a year — Agriprocessors and a meatpacker in Marshalltown — Perry officials recently made preparations for handling one in their town.

School Superintendent Randy J. McCaulley said the school system has an emergency plan in place for an immigration raid, just as it does for other possible calamities, such as a tornado, fire or intruder.

Parents have received a note seeking clarification of their emergency contact information and reassuring them that students will be kept safe in the event of raid.

Still, fear lingers among Perry's Hispanic community.

'You can see that people are more scared in general,' said Rosa Gonzalez of the advocacy group Hispanics United for Perry. 'Some of them, they don't even tell you directly but people don't go outside like they used to and things like that.'

Wendy Goodale, director of Perry's Chamber of Commerce, said Hispanics have helped revive the community, giving local businesses a boost while many rural areas have struggled through tough economic times.

She thinks it could be a crippling blow to Perry if something pushed the Hispanic population out of town.

'It's such a huge chunk of our community,' Goodale said. 'It would be a huge hit to our community, culturally, economically, our businesses, our people — a huge hit.'

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16.

Anti-immigrant rally fizzles as DNC opens

By Kristen Wyatt

The Associated Press, August 25, 2008

http://www.examiner.com/a-1554309~Anti_immigrant_rally_fizzles_as_DNC_opens.html

Denver (AP) -- Remember the hot immigration debate?

The topic won't be headlining either presidential convention this year - and the border security issue barely drew a crowd Monday to a daylong anti-illegal immigration rally in Denver aimed at keeping immigration before politicians this fall.

A rally by the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps featuring Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr drew just a few dozen people.

Held at a Denver park a few miles away from the Democratic National Convention, the rally was more of a picnic, where even some counter-protesters shouting obscenities at the anti-illegal immigration activists failed to stir much emotion.

The anti-illegal immigration activists concede that the topic has fallen off the political radar this summer amid economic concerns and energy worries. They contend Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain are afraid to bring up the subject because they're both seeking Hispanic votes.

'They're trying to walk a fine line so they can not turn off the middle class vote but still get the Hispanic vote,' said Ralph Kelly, 66, of Colorado Springs.

But like others chewing turkey sandwiches and sitting in folding chairs at the almost-empty rally, Kelly seemed sanguine about the lack of interest in immigration. The retired electronic assembly worker said he understands why people are more worried about the economy.

'If I was still working and faced with losing my job, I'd be more worried about it too,' he said.

Most of the attendees were graying, and they expressed little hope they'd influence Democrats gathering just across town.

Even Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, a Republican who launched a short-lived presidential bid earlier this year largely based on his call for an immigration overhaul, showed up late to the rally wearing a golf shirt and loafers and started his remarks by quipping, 'I'm like yesterday's news.'

Tancredo added, though, that the public interest in immigration issues has been understated by the media and even his own political party.

'I don't care how many times people tell me this issue is no longer important, that voters don't care about it anymore, it's still out there,' Tancredo said.

Maybe so, but many of the anti-illegal immigration activists seemed unconvinced the topic would influence this fall's campaigns.

After independent presidential candidate Alan Keyes addressed the group, he was surrounded by supporters - who asked about abortion.

Minutemen organizers insisted the rally was a success, and that the immigration debate hasn't faded. They said more people would have come to the rally, but the media, Republicans and Democrats are in collusion to keep the topic out of the public eye.

They hoped for a better turnout next week in Minneapolis, where another Minuteman rally is planned for the Republican National Convention.

'This is a national movement,' said Minuteman President Chris Simcox, who said membership was either holding steady or increasing across the country. 'This is just the beginning.'

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17.

Border fence design blasted as causing flooding

By Arthur H. Rotstein

The Associated Press, August 25, 2008

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/254381

Tucson, AZ (AP) -- Environmentalists say flooding caused by a new border security fence in southwestern Arizona shows the structure is being built too quickly and without regard for the environment.

Critics say the design of the border fence caused debris and water backup during a July 12 storm that led to flooding at the port of entry at Lukeville and Sonoyta, Mexico, and at the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

'One of the reasons for it was the debris that accumulated on the fence itself,' said Lee Baiza, superintendent of the monument, a 517-square-mile lush desert tract overseen by the National Park Service.

Environmental groups have criticized the manner in which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and contractors for federal agencies have designed and built a range of fencing and vehicle barriers at various points along the Arizona-Mexico border.

In particular, they've denounced Homeland Defense Secretary Michael Chertoff's waiver of environmental laws to hasten construction as the Bush administration pushes to complete 670 miles of fences and other barriers by year's end along the nearly 2,000-mile Mexican border.

The barriers are intended to deter illegal immigrants and drug smugglers.

Critics have said the design of the pedestrian fencing being put in on the Arizona border is flawed. Much of that fencing consists of 10-foot wide and 15-foot tall steel-mesh panels, some featuring a series of wide horizontal grates at the bottom designed to let water and sediment flow through.

'While the Bush administration may claim it's taking environmental impacts of the border wall into consideration, building wire mesh fences across washes prone to debris-laden floods is fundamentally flawed,' Robin Silver, a spokesman for the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.

Defenders of Wildlife spokesman Matt Clark said what happened at Organ Pipe validates the warnings voiced to Homeland Security before construction started.

'It doesn't take an expert hydrologist to anticipate the potential for these walls to become like dams,' Clark said, 'especially in flash flood type of storms, where a lot of water and debris are generated very quickly and can pile up against the fences very rapidly.'

He noted that rapidly moving runoff in washes dislodged or eroded large chunks of concrete foundations, and debris stacking up against the fence created barriers that redirected water, creating gullies and causing even more erosion.

Federal officials maintain that while Chertoff has invoked his waiver authority three times in Arizona, he has ordered Customs and Border Protection and Border Patrol officials to adhere to environmental requirements.

'We are still required to follow every environmental rule, regulation and policy,' said Robert Gilbert, chief of the Border Patrol's Tucson sector. 'He does not waive us doing what we would have to do without the waiver. So it doesn't change anything in the environment.'

The Organ Pipe monument's staff produced a report earlier this month on the pedestrian fence's effect on the 330,000-acre monument's drainage systems and infrastructure.

It concluded that the fence failed to meet hydrologic performance standards of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or standards set by the U.S. Border Patrol's final environmental assessment for the project.

That assessment determined that the 5.2-mile pedestrian fence would have no significant impact on the monument's environmental features.

But the recent monument report said its own staff had raised concerns last year over the fence-building plans, based on knowledge of local flash flooding.

The July 12 storm dumped as much as 2 inches of rain in about 90 minutes in the area, and water running through washes on the monument backed up as debris piled along the base of the fence.

It created pools up to seven feet deep and flows several hundred feet wide that eroded some areas along patrol roads. The waters even scoured some fence and vehicle barrier foundations.

'The monument had suggested that they take into consideration everything that can happen with a weather event,' particularly an accumulation of debris, Baiza said. 'We had a concern that this was going to happen.'

Baiza said the fence designers are being asked to come back and study the drainages again to come up with alternatives.

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18.

Pilgrim's Pride chief joins voices calling for immigration change

By Diane Solis

The Dallas Morning News, August 25, 2008

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/082608dnbuspilgrim.3df04eb.html

Poultry mogul Lonnie 'Bo' Pilgrim on Monday called for an overhaul of the nation's immigration laws.

'We have to rise up and do something,' the 80-year-old co-founder of Pilgrim's Pride Corp. said at a gathering of Texas employers. 'Every individual, all 300 million of us, every man, woman and child, is touched by this issue. We all have to have food. We all have to have shelter. And America doesn't have the labor to support the economy.'

Mr. Pilgrim discussed the issue at a meeting in Irving attended by about 100 members of the lobbying group Texas Employers for Immigration Reform.

TEIR is an offshoot of the Texas Association of Business, headed by former Dallas state representative Bill Hammond. The group wants a legalization program for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. and a guest worker program for future labor flows.

With increased enforcement of immigration laws, members said, such programs are essential. Speakers addressed such issues as fertility rates of native-born U.S. citizens, labor force replacement and the difficulties in verifying documents.

More than 300 workers at Pilgrim's Pride's plants in Mount Pleasant, Texas, and four other locations were arrested in April by immigration officers as part of an investigation into identity fraud. The sweep illustrated a switch in tactics in which the government uses criminal law to prosecute illegal immigrants. In that law enforcement action, Pilgrim's Pride, based in Pittsburg, Texas, wasn't charged.

U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Dallas, said he supported a legalization program, but not one that would provide a pathway for U.S. citizenship.

Mr. Hammond called the distinction a 'major sticking point' in the push for an overhaul. Such an effort failed last year before Congress.

At the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a group that wants immigration restrictions, spokesman Ira Mehlman dismissed the employers' efforts. 'Most of these folks can't anticipate what their labor needs are six months from now. Why are they telling us what their needs are 20 years from now?'

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