The MexicoBlog of the Americas Program, a fiscally sponsored program of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), is written by Laura Carlsen. I monitor and analyze international press on Mexico, with a focus on security, immigration, human rights and social movements for peace and justice, from a feminist perspective. And sometimes I simply muse.
Showing posts with label immigration - Secure Communities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label immigration - Secure Communities. Show all posts
Feb 14, 2012
Immigration Crackdown: U.S. Policy Gives Mother of Three Criminal Treatment
Witness for Peace : "Mariela had been living and working in the United States for seven years. A mother of three, she and her partner worked to support her family in Nicaragua and her three-year-old son, a U.S. citizen with her in the U.S. Mariela was deported because she lived in a county that participates in the controversial “Secure Communities” program." read more
Jan 28, 2012
Immmigration Politics: California's Catholic hierarchy takes stand against illegal-immigration dragnet
San Jose Mercury News: "The Bay Area's biggest religious institution, the Catholic Church, is throwing its weight against a federal immigration dragnet that in the past two years deported more than 6,500 people from the region.
As Republican presidential contenders clash ... over the harshness or softness of their stands on illegal immigration, Catholic priests here and across the country are championing a humanitarian approach and condemning what they describe as "selfish" demagoguery.
"It is heartbreaking to hear the painful stories of unjust deportations pouring in from our congregations. California can do better," San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer said " read more
As Republican presidential contenders clash ... over the harshness or softness of their stands on illegal immigration, Catholic priests here and across the country are championing a humanitarian approach and condemning what they describe as "selfish" demagoguery.
"It is heartbreaking to hear the painful stories of unjust deportations pouring in from our congregations. California can do better," San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer said " read more
Dec 19, 2011
Immigration Crackdown: Secure Communities program should be scrapped
Editorial from the Los Angeles Times
latimes.com: "Secure Communities was meant to deport immigrants with serious criminal convictions. But it has targeted non-criminals and even U.S. citizens. If it can't be fixed, it should be ended." read more
latimes.com: "Secure Communities was meant to deport immigrants with serious criminal convictions. But it has targeted non-criminals and even U.S. citizens. If it can't be fixed, it should be ended." read more
Dec 15, 2011
Immigration crackdown snares citizens in Los Angeles, ACLU says
latimes.com: "U.S. citizens have been illegally detained throughout Los Angeles County as a result of the Secure Communities immigration enforcement program, a coalition of civil and immigrant rights groups said Wednesday.
The American Civil Liberties Union and others identified four U.S. citizens detained through the fingerprint-sharing program in the last few months, including three identified in November." read more
The American Civil Liberties Union and others identified four U.S. citizens detained through the fingerprint-sharing program in the last few months, including three identified in November." read more
Dec 14, 2011
Immigration Crackdown Also Snares U.S. Citizens
NYTimes.com: "In a spate of recent cases across the country, American citizens have been confined in local jails after federal immigration agents, acting on flawed information from Department of Homeland Security databases, instructed the police to hold them for investigation and possible deportation.
Americans said their vehement protests that they were citizens went unheard by local police and jailers for days, with no communication with federal immigration agents to clarify the situation. Any case where an American is held, even briefly, for immigration investigation is a potential wrongful arrest because immigration agents lack legal authority to detain citizens." read more
Americans said their vehement protests that they were citizens went unheard by local police and jailers for days, with no communication with federal immigration agents to clarify the situation. Any case where an American is held, even briefly, for immigration investigation is a potential wrongful arrest because immigration agents lack legal authority to detain citizens." read more
Dec 1, 2011
Immigration - Secure Communitites: House Divided Over Immigration Program
Talk Radio News Service: "Republicans and Democrats in a House subcommittee butted heads over the effectiveness of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Secure Communities (S-Comm) program Wednesday amidst claims that the program promotes racial profiling." read more
Oct 26, 2011
Immigraton Crackdown: Interior Immigration Enforcement: Programs Targeting Criminal Aliens
The Congressional Research Service report on Department of Homeland Security deportation programs ostensibly aimed at criminals.
Congressional Research Service: "DHS operates four programs designed in whole or in part to target criminal aliens:
Congressional Research Service: "DHS operates four programs designed in whole or in part to target criminal aliens:
- the Criminal Alien Program (CAP),
- Secure Communities,
- the § 287(g) program, and the
- National Fugitive Operations Program (NFOP).
Oct 25, 2011
Immigration Crackdown - Secure Communities: Federal judge orders release of key document on immigration enforcement program by Nov. 1
The Washington Post: "A federal judge has ordered the release of a document expected to show why the U.S. government ended up mandating a program for identifying deportable immigrants after they’ve been detained.
U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin ordered the government late Monday to turn over a key memorandum by Nov. 1 to civil rights groups and immigrant advocates who had included it in a Freedom of Information Act request.
The memo was expected to explain why a program known as Secure Communities was optional for states and municipalities through at least the beginning of 2010, but became mandatory by the end of that year. " read more
U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin ordered the government late Monday to turn over a key memorandum by Nov. 1 to civil rights groups and immigrant advocates who had included it in a Freedom of Information Act request.
The memo was expected to explain why a program known as Secure Communities was optional for states and municipalities through at least the beginning of 2010, but became mandatory by the end of that year. " read more
Oct 20, 2011
Immigration Crackdown: D.C. won’t cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, mayor says
The Washington Post: "D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray reaffirmed Wednesday that District police and other public agencies will not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, leaving it up to federal immigration officials to determine on their own whether a resident is in the country illegally. The decision reinforces executive orders by past District mayors, but Gray (D) and council members say it goes further by explicitly setting standards for how the city’s criminal justice system will deal with immigrants." read more
Oct 19, 2011
Immigration Crackdown - Secure Communities: U.S. citizens caught in immigration net
Report: U.S. citizens caught in immigration net - San Jose Mercury News: "Likely thousands of U.S. citizens have been detained under a controversial immigration program that has been a source of local debate, according to a study by a UC Berkeley group. Prepared by the Warren Institute at the UC Berkeley School of Law, the report is based on an examination of several hundred individual immigration records obtained through a lawsuit. Together, they offer the first case-by-case look at a program that has come under scrutiny locally and across the nation.
"When we found this, we were quite disturbed because we didn't expect to see U.S. citizens in the sample," said Aarti Kohli, director of immigration policy at the Warren Institute. Though based on a narrow sample of 375 cases out of the thousands of detainees transferred under Secure Communities, researches say the sample is statistically significant. Based on a handful of cases, they estimate 3,600 citizens have been detained under the program.
ICE officials called the report "misleading and inaccurate," saying Secure Communities has enhanced public safety and that the report failed to acknowledge ICE's responsibility to determine who is in the country illegally. "If there is a question about an individual's status, ICE conducts appropriate follow-up. If the individual is a U.S. citizen, ICE takes no additional action. In exercising its civil immigration functions, ICE does not detain U.S. citizens," the agency said in a statement released in response to the report." read more
"When we found this, we were quite disturbed because we didn't expect to see U.S. citizens in the sample," said Aarti Kohli, director of immigration policy at the Warren Institute. Though based on a narrow sample of 375 cases out of the thousands of detainees transferred under Secure Communities, researches say the sample is statistically significant. Based on a handful of cases, they estimate 3,600 citizens have been detained under the program.
ICE officials called the report "misleading and inaccurate," saying Secure Communities has enhanced public safety and that the report failed to acknowledge ICE's responsibility to determine who is in the country illegally. "If there is a question about an individual's status, ICE conducts appropriate follow-up. If the individual is a U.S. citizen, ICE takes no additional action. In exercising its civil immigration functions, ICE does not detain U.S. citizens," the agency said in a statement released in response to the report." read more
Oct 18, 2011
Immigration Crackdown: "Lost in Detention" - PBS Documentary
Tonight, Oct. 18, on PBS
PBS: FRONTLINE and the Investigative Reporting Workshop examine the Obama administration’s controversial get-tough immigration policy. for more info
PBS: FRONTLINE and the Investigative Reporting Workshop examine the Obama administration’s controversial get-tough immigration policy. for more info
Sep 18, 2011
Immigration - Secure Communities: DHS Task Force Criticizes Immigration Fingerprint Program
ABC News: "A draft report by a Department of Homeland Security task force has found serious concerns with a deportation program run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) because of confusion about the program and tensions the effort has created for state and local police.
Police have traditionally run fingerprints through an FBI database to search for an arrestee’s criminal history and any outstanding warrants. Established in 2008, “Secure Communities,” the deportation program, allows the fingerprints to also be searched in ICE’s databases for possible immigration violations.
The program is designed to find criminal aliens and serious violent offenders. But it has generated growing criticism from those who think it turns up low-level criminals or people with no previous record."
Police have traditionally run fingerprints through an FBI database to search for an arrestee’s criminal history and any outstanding warrants. Established in 2008, “Secure Communities,” the deportation program, allows the fingerprints to also be searched in ICE’s databases for possible immigration violations.
The program is designed to find criminal aliens and serious violent offenders. But it has generated growing criticism from those who think it turns up low-level criminals or people with no previous record."
Immigration Crackdown: States, cities crying foul over Obama immigration policy
Sacramento Bee: "In June, high-level officials in the Obama administration asked Arturo Venegas Jr. to spend his summer helping them fix America's broken immigration enforcement system.
The former Sacramento police chief agreed and threw himself into the task until very publicly quitting the process last week. He is one of many notables – including the governors of some large states – who think the Obama administration is wrongly supporting immigration-enforcement policies that make the daunting task even worse.
Venegas believes Obama should temporarily suspend Secure Communities, a cornerstone immigration system employed by the feds, because it is arresting too many of the wrong people.
When his suggestions were ignored, and when the task force he joined failed to include stricter controls on cops in its final report, Venegas quit. So did four other members of the task force, including law enforcement and labor leaders and legal experts."
The former Sacramento police chief agreed and threw himself into the task until very publicly quitting the process last week. He is one of many notables – including the governors of some large states – who think the Obama administration is wrongly supporting immigration-enforcement policies that make the daunting task even worse.
Venegas believes Obama should temporarily suspend Secure Communities, a cornerstone immigration system employed by the feds, because it is arresting too many of the wrong people.
When his suggestions were ignored, and when the task force he joined failed to include stricter controls on cops in its final report, Venegas quit. So did four other members of the task force, including law enforcement and labor leaders and legal experts."
Sep 16, 2011
Immigration Crackdown - Secure Communities: Task force criticizes Obama's deportation program
sfgate: "A task force advising an Obama administration deportation program has criticized immigration officials for creating "much confusion" with the public about its purposes and found that the program had an "unintended negative impact" on public safety in local communities.
In a report released Wednesday on the program, known as Secure Communities, the task force said that immigration officials had eroded public trust with conflicting statements about what immigrants were being singled out for deportation and whether states and cities were required to participate."
In a report released Wednesday on the program, known as Secure Communities, the task force said that immigration officials had eroded public trust with conflicting statements about what immigrants were being singled out for deportation and whether states and cities were required to participate."
Sep 12, 2011
Immigration Crackdown: Immigrants meet with Gutierrez on changes to federal deportation efforts
Chicago Tribune: "After he was brought into the U.S. illegally as a 1-year-old, Luis Pedrote did so well in school that he won a President's Education Award in 2006.
Today, his family says, Pedrote, 19, sits in a Dallas detention facility after he was picked up last month by Chicago police who realized his illegal status while questioning him at his Gage Park home about a potential suspect."
Today, his family says, Pedrote, 19, sits in a Dallas detention facility after he was picked up last month by Chicago police who realized his illegal status while questioning him at his Gage Park home about a potential suspect."
Immigration Crackdown: Cook County Votes To Free Immigrant Inmates Wanted By Feds
Huffington Post: "When it comes to federal immigration compliance, Illinois lawmakers have been bold in their rejection of some Obama administration policies in recent months. On Wednesday, the Cook County Board of Commissioners decided to tell the feds that if they want suspected illegal immigrants to stay in prison longer, they'll have to pay for the detention.
Before Wednesday, a federal mandate required the Cook County Jail to hold inmates suspected of immigration violations for two days longer, even in misdemeanor cases such as traffic violations and minor drug arrests. The criminal cases are then turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which decides whether or not to deport the immigrants."
Before Wednesday, a federal mandate required the Cook County Jail to hold inmates suspected of immigration violations for two days longer, even in misdemeanor cases such as traffic violations and minor drug arrests. The criminal cases are then turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which decides whether or not to deport the immigrants."
Sep 9, 2011
Immigration: David Frum: The effectiveness of immigration as a low-wage policy | Full Comment | National Post
This column analyzes the underlying business strategy behind Texas' low-wage job-creation strategy.
National Post: "Texas has pursued a distinctive economic strategy: drive down all costs of doing business, especially including wages.
Texas workers receive some of the lowest wages in the nation; by some metrics, the very lowest. The encouragement of heavy unskilled immigration from Mexico and central America is an integral – even indispensable – element of the Texas low-wage job-creation strategy."
National Post: "Texas has pursued a distinctive economic strategy: drive down all costs of doing business, especially including wages.
Texas workers receive some of the lowest wages in the nation; by some metrics, the very lowest. The encouragement of heavy unskilled immigration from Mexico and central America is an integral – even indispensable – element of the Texas low-wage job-creation strategy."
Aug 26, 2011
Immigration Crackdown: Quinn hits back against Secure Communities
WBEZ: "Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is trying to throw another wrench into a key immigration-enforcement program of President Obama’s administration, saying it ensnares too many people and erodes trust in local police.
An August 18 letter from the governor’s office to John Morton, director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, hints about a possible legal challenge and asks the federal agency to contact all 26 Illinois counties that have agreed to participate in the program, called Secure Communities, to confirm they still want to take part."
Aug 25, 2011
Immigration Crackdown: Is Obama's pursuit of illegal immigrants too successful?
An editorial on Secure Communities from the Dallas Morning News
Immigration Crackdown: Secure Communities Task Force Meets in Arlington
The Washington Post: "As a federal task force evaluating a key policy on immigration enforcement held its final public hearing in Arlington County on Wednesday night, critics of the controversial mandate were ramping up the pressure to end it. The program, called Secure Communities, makes it possible for the FBI to share fingerprint data of people arrested by local and state authorities with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which can use the information to check for violations."
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