NEWS  BYTES

The federal government and the State of California have agreed to a plan for training state employees in recognizing and dealing with discrimination against immigrants.  The plan comes one year after the US Department of Justice criticized the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing for not reporting 114 cases of claimed job discrimination against immigrants.  According to the state, there were communication problems, and this new plan should mark a substantial improvement.

*********

The INS office in Atlanta has begun targeting undocumented immigrants with DUI convictions.  There are deportation proceedings pending against 64 people.  The INS assistant district director, Bart Szafnicki, initiated the drive after reading a story about an undocumented immigrant who killed three people in a drunk driving accident.  According to Szafnicki, “the native-born population in the US has largely recognized the problem with DUI.  But with the influx of immigrants, I just don’t think the word has filtered down.”

*********

Last week the first portion of the bond hearing for Mazen Al-Najjar, the Palestinian cleric and professor held for more than three years on secret evidence concluded.  In an order issued last Friday, Immigration Judge Kevin McHugh ruled that the public evidence presented against Al-Najjar did not call for his continued detention.  He gave the government two weeks to decide whether they again want to present the secret evidence.  If the government decides not to present this evidence, Al-Najjar will be released.  His attorneys are confident that even if the government does present that evidence, Al-Najjar will still be released.  One reason for this is that even though the evidence can be presented in chambers, it must be done in a way that preserves Al-Najjar’s constitutional right to defend himself.  The government has accused Al-Najjar of being involved in terrorist activities, but was not able to prove this using public evidence.

*********

Last week a New Jersey man and a woman pled guilty to charges of posing as INS agents and shaking down restaurant owners and workers.  They admitted to telling people that there was a $100 fine for each undocumented worker and collecting about $5000 from ten restaurants.  The INS believes that it has contacted all of the victims, but says that anyone they have not contacted can contact the agency.  Victims may be eligible for restitution.  The INS does levy fines for using undocumented workers, but through an administrative process – there is no cash transferred on the spot.  None of the workers or employers were prosecuted as they are considered victims.  The man and woman face up to three years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

*********

A Detroit area man is fighting a $1300 fine levied after he erected a sign reading “Immigration will double US population in your children’s lifetime.”  The sign was placed next to a business owned by a Korean immigrant.  According to the town that levied the fine, the sign violated restrictions on the size of political signs.  The man got the sign from Project USA, an anti-immigration group that has placed similar signs in several states.

*********

A number of religious groups in Utah have come out in opposition to Initiative A, the ballot proposal to make English the state’s official language.  Representatives of the Roman Catholic, Jewish, Episcopal, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, Unitarian Universalist, Lutheran, Buddhist, and Calvary Baptist faiths this week urged followers to vote against the initiative, calling in anti-immigrant and antithetical to their faiths.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, of which 70% of Utahans are members, has not taken an official position on the issue.  However, a number of professors at Brigham Young University, which is owned by the Mormon Church, have spoken out against the initiative.

*********

The state of California has announced that it will begin providing certification for court interpreters in five new languages – Armenian, Cambodian, Mandarin, Russian and Punjabi.  The state already provides certification in Arabic, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese.

*********

Two boys, ages 13 and 14, have been accused of stealing a vehicle used by the INS in undercover operations.  The incident occurred in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  The Jeep Cherokee was later recovered by Albuquerque police, as were all of the items inside.  Authorities do not think the youths were targeting the INS.

*********

The Texas Service Center is reporting that a recent audit there has resulted in delays of an additional 2 ½ to 3 ½ weeks in most of its cases.

< Back | Next >

Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk.