4. Border and Enforcement News:

Immigration chief agrees to review abuse allegations in Michigan

The Detroit Free Press reports that ICE director John Morton traveled to Detroit to review cases involving allegations of abuse by agents in Michigan.  In one incident, ICE agents followed parents as they dropped their kids off at Hope Elementary in Detroit.  Community leaders are concerned that recent crack downs represent a growing pattern of harassment and profiling by the agency. 

http://freep.com/article/20110416/NEWS05/104160371/1007/NEWS05/Immigration-chief-agrees-review-abuse-allegations-Michigan

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Zoe Lofgren calls on Obama to end deportations of same-sex partners

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that in a letter to Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) asked the Obama administration to suspend deportations of same-sex partners of U.S. citizens.  The letter was signed by 47 House members and calls for an end to the deportations in light of the administration’s decision to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).  DOMA bars all federal benefits, including immigration rights, to same-sex couples.  Rep. Lofgren is also a cosponsor of ‘The Uniting Famlies Act,’ a bill that would allow citizens and legal residents to sponsor their same-sex partners for immigration.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?entry_id=87093

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Judge sets $500K bail for Army scam suspect

The Associated Press reports that Yupeng Den, a Chinese national, appeared in court on charges of posing as a U.S. Army recruiter in order to swindle fellow immigrants out of thousands of dollars in fees.  The elaborate scheme included setting up a fake office and giving out fake military ID cards and uniforms.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/13/judge-sets-500k-bail-for-army-scam-suspect

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DHS wants new measure for border security

The Washington Times reports that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and the Obama administration are looking to develop a new yardstick for measuring the state of border security.  Defined by Congress in a 2006 law, ‘operational control’ measures the ability to prevent all unlawful entries into the United States.  The Government Accountability Office says less than half of the U.S.-Mexico border is a under operational control, a number the Obama administration says does no reflect recent improvements made there.  Napolitano said she wants to new measurement to include how many people have been deterred from trying to cross the border and stats that show the collateral damage of violence created by the drug trade.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/4/dhs-wants-new-yardstick-for-improvements/

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