BORDER NEWS According to statistics from the Mexican government, 388 Mexican citizens have died attempting to enter the US this year. During her annual report to the Mexican Senate, Foreign Relations Minister Rosario Green attributed the deaths to increased US border enforcement that pushes migrants into dangerous rural areas.
*********
Recent good weather in South Florida and the Caribbean has led to a surge in illegal entries. In one 24-hour period, Border Patrol agents apprehended five groups of Cubans, Haitians, and Nigerians, totaling 76 people. As the fiscal year ends, Border Patrol statistics show that fewer Cubans were apprehended in the US this year than last, down from 2,254 to 1.758, while the number of Haitians apprehended has increased, from 405 to 530.
*********
Late last week a group of refugees from Iraq appeared at the US border to press their asylum claims. The group are members of the Christian Chaldean church, and claims that they have suffered persecution in Iraq because of their religion. In total, 207 people submitted applications at the San Ysidro port of entry in San Diego. Seventy-five people have been paroled into the US to stay with friends or family members. The Chaldean community in San Diego is about 15,000 strong.
*********
Judges in Benton County, Arkansas are trying to work out a system to stop the practice of deporting defendants who have posted bond. According to public defenders, some bail bondsmen post bail for suspected undocumented immigrants who are not released from prison because the INS has issued a detainer keeping them in jail pending deportation proceedings. Judges do not like the idea that people are paying bail and not getting what bail is designed to accomplish – releasing them from jail so that they can participate fully in their defense. If a defendant does not show up in court, the bondsman forfeits the bail and the defendant loses what they paid the bondsman, usually 10% of the bail amount. The judges want to develop a system to clarify a person’s status so that they do not have to pay bail when there is no hope of their release.
*********
State troopers in Nebraska stopped a van carrying 18 undocumented immigrants, two of who are suspected of alien smuggling. The van was stopped at about 11 PM because it was driving without headlights. The van also had temporary Arizona license plates. Among the 18 people were four women and seven children.
*********
Three women accused of involvement in the cigarette smuggling ring that allegedly made money for the Hezbollah have pled guilty to immigration marriage fraud. The ring is accused of buying cigarettes in North Carolina, where taxes are low, and selling them on the black market in Michigan, where taxes are high. The women face sentences of 20 to 40 years and fines of up to $1 million. Earlier this month, another suspect also pled guilty to immigration law violations. None of the four have been charged with cigarette smuggling.
*********
Last week a smuggler who abandoned one of the people he was transporting in the mountains of San Diego County during a sudden snowstorm was convicted of 19 crimes related to the incident. Last March the smuggler was leading 25 people through the mountains when the snowstorm came up, and when one man began lagging behind, the smuggler abandoned him. The man later died of hypothermia. The smuggler is to be sentenced in December.
*********
Twenty-four undocumented immigrants were injured when the van in which they were being transported overturned in a remote southern California area ten miles north of the border. Nine of them were seriously injured. According to the Border Patrol, the van, which was not being pursued, missed a turn and ran into a raised bank, flew over two concrete canals, landed in a field and flipped several times. Most of the immigrants were thrown from the van.
*********
Zhang Hongbao, the leader of Zhong Gong, a meditation group similar to Falun Gong, will be allowed to remain in the US, but was not granted asylum. Zhang arrived in Guam earlier this year, seeking asylum. The Chinese government claimed he was wanted for many crimes, and only a few weeks ago released details of a rape charge against him. Zhang was granted withholding of removal, a form of relief that often accompanies asylum. Withholding requires that the applicant make the same case as an asylum application, but unlike asylum, it is not a permanent status. While asylees are eligible to apply for permanent residency, a person to whom withholding has been granted is not, and may be deported if conditions in their home country improve to the point where the person may be returned without fear of persecution.
*********
Federal officials in Colorado have apprehended a man they say is a drug trafficker who is wanted for murder in Mexico and attempted murder in Kansas. Francisco Baezo Lozano is being held by the INS and will face deportation on the ground that he illegally reentered the US after being deported. This may not happen for a while, however, as Kansas officials have begun extradition proceedings, and the Mexican government has also expressed interest in extraditing him.
*********
An immigration inspector at the San Ysidro port of entry has been charged with taking almost $90,000 from smugglers transporting drugs and people across the border. According to the indictment, Hose Antonio Olvera accepted $2000 to $4000 for each load he let pass through the border without inspection. He is the fourth San Ysidro inspector to be charged in the past 18 months. < 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. | 
