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4. Border and Enforcement News:   Homeland’s Screening Policy of Illegally Present Immigrants Flawed   USA Today reports that a review conducted by the Department of Homeland Security’s advisory council found the Secure Communities program, which checks the immigration status of all people booked into local jails, needs system-wide changes and may need to be suspended until its problems are worked out. The report found that inconsistencies within the Secure Communities program lead to some people arrested for minor crimes, or on charges that are later dropped, being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials contrary to the stated goal of the agency of only pursuing serious criminals.  The report suggested that Homeland Security better train its officials to focus on dangerous criminals, adopt more oversight to ensure those policies are being enforced and consider ignoring illegally present immigrants booked into local jails for minor crimes and traffic offenses.    The report will be given to Homeland Security leadership, who can adopt any or all of the recommendations.    http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2011-09-22/immigration-Homeland-Security/50520300/1   ***** U.S. Eyes Fencing Along Canadian Border   The Canadian Press reports that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency has proposed the use of “fencing and other barriers” along the border with Canada to manage “trouble spots where passage of cross-border violators is difficult to control.”  The border service is also considering beefing-up the technological presence on the border through increased use of radar, sensors, cameras, drones, and vehicle scanners.  The announced security measures come after a U.S. Government Accountability Office report recently warned that only a small portion of the border with Canada is properly secure.  Customs and Border Protection is inviting comment on the options and plans a series of public meetings in Washington and several U.S. border communities.    http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/national/article/157629--u-s-eyes-fencing-along-canadian-border-as-missing-link-in-security   ***** ICE Announces Criminal Immigrant Roundup   The Associated Press reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials said they have arrested 2,901 criminal immigrants in the course of a week.  The arrests come a month after Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that immigration officials would focus enforcement efforts on serious criminals and delay deportation cases for most non-criminal immigrants who don’t pose a threat to public safety or national security.   http://news.hjnews.com/news/world/article_e7bd8698-c03b-5469-8bbc-5f6c3fa6e960.html   ***** Hispanics Sue Feds over Raid   The Tennessean reports that four Nashville residents are suing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), claiming federal agents illegally entered their apartment while looking for a fugitive at the complex.  Their legal representative, immigration attorney Elliott Ozment, said his clients’ treatment represents a pattern of how ICE agents in Nashville operate.  Ozment said ICE targeted his clients’ residence looking for a previous tenant and entered the apartment without a warrant using threats of forceful removal.   The raid in question was followed by a much larger operation by ICE a few weeks later that resulted in twenty federal arrests and drew the ire of civil rights groups alleging similar abuses.  Ozment asserts that the long term effects of these practices are harmful to the community.  “They are full of fear, the Hispanic community, very fearful,” he said.    http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111010/NEWS03/310100030/Hispanics-sue-feds-over-raid   ***** Border-Crosser Deaths Show Sharp Decline in AZ   The Arizona Daily Star reports that deaths along a stretch of Arizona’s border with Mexico dropped to an eight year low in the recently completed fiscal year.  Though the 182 bodies of border crossers recovered in fiscal year 2011 are the fewest since fiscal year 2003, they are still within range of the average yearly tally of the last decade (200).  Border deaths in Arizona have not declined along with illegal crossings, suggesting that immigrants face a deadlier trek than ever across Arizona’s desert.  Law enforcement officials and humanitarian groups believe the buildup of border fencing, technology and agents has caused illegal border crossers to walk in more treacherous terrain, increasing the likelihood that people will get hurt or fatigued and left behind to die.    http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/article_97e908b4-5cb9-54a9-a03e-49341f85dcb6.html   ***** Bachmann Backs Arizona on Border, Immigration Issues   The Associated Press reports that Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann is praising Arizona officials for their efforts to tighten border security and combat illegal immigration.  The Minnesota congresswoman said during a news conference in Phoenix that the state is being forced to act because of what she called failures of the federal government.   http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700188955/Bachmann-backs-Ariz-on-border-immigration-issues.html   ***** Message from the USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas   U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas issued a statement to highlight the steps the agency has taken over the past year to advance “one of our immigration system’s foundational goals: promoting America’s economic prosperity.” Full details on the changes related to employment-based and high-skilled immigration may be found here.   ***** USCIS Improves Processing for Naturalization and Citizenship Forms   U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it is enhancing the filing process for select forms dealing with naturalization and citizenship (N-Forms).  The new process allows individuals to file N-Forms at a secure Lockbox facility instead of their local offices.  USCIS said the change streamlines the way forms are processed, accelerates the collection and deposit of fees and improves the consistency of their intake process.   ***** Janet Napolitano: Deportation Review to Begin in Weeks   Politico (DC) reports that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that the Obama administration’s plan to drop some pending deportation cases will soon get under way at selected sites across the country.  Napolitano said the review is intended to “administratively close some of the low-priority cases,” and will be expanded nationwide as soon as the initial effort can be assessed. Detractors of the plan raised objections to the notion of knowingly allowing illegally present immigrants to remain in the country.  Sen. Chuck Grassley (R.-Iowa), said it was “alarming” that those immigrants that remain could obtain work permits.  Napolitano addressed these concerns by reiterating that the policy is meant to reserve the department’s limited resources for higher priority cases involving convicted criminals.  She continued by pointing out that since 1986, the law has allowed work permits for some illegally present immigrants who are permitted to remain in the country. Janet Napolitano: Deportation Review to Begin in Weeks   *****

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