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BORDER NEWS
Immigration inspectors at the Kennedy International Airport in New York briefly detained and then deported a prominent Jordanian political leader.  The action has prompted protests from Jordanian authorities.  Ishaq Farhan was in the US to visit a son and daughter in the US, and to speak before Islamic groups in the US.  Upon his arrival in New York he was taken into a room and questioned about whether he was a member of any terrorist organizations.  After six hours of questioning, the INS decided to not allow him to enter.  According to the INS, the State Department revoked his visa and wanted the agency to interrogate him.  The US ambassador in Jordan has said he will try to find out what caused the incident.  Jordan considers itself the US’s closest Arab ally, but has long resented what it sees as an American inability to distinguish between Arabs and terrorists.  
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Just days after more than 300 Haitians were found in the Bahamas after failing in their efforts to come to the US, officials discovered over 100 Haitian migrants in South Florida.  The people landed in three separate boats.  Those who were apprehended were taken to immigration detention facilities and questioned.  Those who demonstrate a credible fear of persecution if returned to Haiti will be allowed to pursue asylum claims, while the others will be returned to Haiti. 
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Despite an increased INS presence in Arkansas, highway patrol officers who stop people they suspect of being in the US without authorization sill have to let them go, because the INS does not have the resources to deal with them.  The area director of the INS claims that they are able to respond immediately “about 98 percent of the time.”  A recent stop to which the INS was not able to respond has caused some controversy.  According to the officer who made the stop, the INS did not respond because less than 20 people were involved, and the agency does not respond if less than 20 people are involved.  However, the INS presents a different story – it claims the vehicle was stopped only because of the Hispanic appearance of the passengers.  A person’s ethnicity is not a basis for law enforcement questioning. 
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Ten people were injured when a vehicle carrying several undocumented immigrants crashed into a truck after making a U-turn trying to evade a Border Patrol agent.  None of the people were seriously injured.  The accident occurred about 65 miles east of San Diego. 
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The Mexican government says it is investigating the possibility of taking action in US courts to stop the actions of ranchers and others who round up undocumented migrants.  According to a spokesperson from the Foreign Ministry, it will most likely be a civil suit against those who are known to have stopped migrants.  The number of these incidents has risen sharply over the past few years, and governments on both sides of the border are worried that one day an incident will turn violent. 
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A Border Patrol agent has pled guilty to obstruction of justice in his efforts to cover up a traffic stop in which his wrongful use of force resulted in the injury of a person.  The agent, Kenneth L. Stewart could face up to 10 years in prison for obstruction of justice when he is sentenced this summer.  The victim was thrown against the Border Patrol vehicle and then slammed to the ground, resulting in facial injuries.  The victim has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the agent.