Prison terms handed to green card counterfeiters

The San Antonio Express reports that four members of a counterfeiting ring that distributed over one thousand false immigration and identification documents in San Antonio and Austin were sentenced to prison.  In May 2010, ICE agents raided locations in the two cities and recovered document-making equipment, blank identity cards, and Social Security cards.  The ringleader, Carlos Saldaña, received a forty-one month prison sentence while the other three received 10 month sentences.  Four other suspects who pled guilty will be sentenced at a later date.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Prison-terms-handed-to-green-card-counterfeiters-951224.php

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‘Number of cities’ in Texas giving safe haven to illegally present immigrants

The Los Angeles Times reports that Texas Governor Rick Perry urged the new GOP-led state legislature to address the issue of ‘sanctuary cities’ that he says provide safe haven to illegally present immigrants.  A spokeswoman for Governor Perry mentioned Houston as one such city, noting that law enforcement officials generally do not ask about citizenship during patrols or investigations.  She said Governor Perry wants to stop cities from taking away the discretion officers have to enforce certain laws, including immigration laws.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-immigration-sanctuary-cities,0,6908018.story

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Chicago aldermen urge moratorium on ‘cruel deportations’

The Chicago Sun Times reports that the Chicago City Council approved a resolution urging President Obama to use executive powers to halt deportations of undocumented workers that include either a U.S. citizen or a child that would be covered by the DREAM Act.  The aldermen called the current deportation policy inhumane, noting that 1,100 families are separated each day.  Finance Committee Chairman Edward M. Burke pointed to a City Council measure from the 1850s that prohibited law enforcement officials from tracking down fugitive slaves and said the immigration is a similar issue of ‘compassion and morality.’

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/3295280-418/immigration-aldermen-reform-chicago-issue.html

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Feds to use ‘proven technology’ after failure of $1 billion border fence

The Associated Press reports that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano officially ended SBInet, a high-tech fence along the border with Mexico ordered by Congress in 2006.  The project cost nearly $1 billion and proved ineffective in meeting ‘its original objective of providing a single, integrated border security technology solution.’  Napolitano said the lesson taken from the program’s failure is that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to border security and that a new strategy should use existing, proven technology tailored to each distinct region of the 2,000 mile U.S.-Mexico border.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-border-security-virtual-fence,0,4815402.story

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Report criticizes immigration enforcement

The Chicago Tribune reports that a study released by the Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Issue Rights found that more than seventy-five percent of the roughly 630 illegally present immigrants in Illinois turned over to ICE because of the Secure Communities Program had no previous criminal convictions.  Secure Communities is a federal program created in 2008 to find illegally present immigrants with criminal records by checking the fingerprints of inmates in a federal database.  ICE officials defended the program by disputing the figures and pointing out that the number is only 44 percent nationwide.  ICE emphasized that the agency’s highest priority is people convicted of aggravated felonies or multiple crimes or who pose a threat to national security.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-01-13/news/ct-met-immigration-

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Contractor investigated over possible illegal hiring at National Guard site

The Associated Press reports that USCIS investigators are looking into whether Greg Hoberock employed illegally present immigrants to work on a Missouri National Guard aviation facility in Springfield.  Hoberock claims he used the E-Verify database to check his employees, but investigators have asked to see original I-9 documents for approximately thirty employees.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/01/27/contractor-investigated-possible-illegal-immigrant-hiring-national-guard-site/

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Immigrant who worked undercover fights deportation

The Associated Press reports that Emilio Maya, an Argentine restaurant owner who worked as an undercover informant for ICE in a deal to gain citizenship, has been ordered to report for deportation on February 7^th.  Starting in 2005, Emilio and his sister Analia wore wires, infiltrated a prostitution ring, exposed a factory that was hiring undocumented workers, and provided information on human smuggling operations.  Instead of receiving an S-visa which could lead to permanent legal status, they were informed by ICE in 2009 that their information was no longer useful and they could be deported.  Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) introduced a private bill that had granted Emilio a one-year stay, but now that it is due to expire, ICE is again targeting him for deportation.

http://online.wsj.com/article/AP20a10f26b59f4556bdb6e20087e07090.html

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Lawmakers want more security on northern border

The Washington Post reports that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report that less than 1 percent of the 4,000-mile U.S.-Canada border is considered under the operational control of U.S. border officials.  According to the report, Customs and Border Protection believes it can detect the entry of illegally present immigrants at only 32 miles of the border.  The full report is available here: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d1197.pdf

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/01/AR2011020103040.html

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Government spent about $5 billion to remove 393,000 people in 2010

The Associated Press reports that ICE deputy director Kumar Kibble announced at a House subcommittee hearing that it costs $12,500 to arrest, detain, and deport each person removed from the United States.  In 2010, nearly 393,000 people were deported, costing $5 billion.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-immigration-costs,0,2256316.story

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