Illegal Re-Entry Tops All Federal Charges

Cronkite News Service reports that illegal re-entry became the most frequent federal criminal charge in the United States during the first six months of fiscal year 2011.  Experts attribute the rise in cases to various factors – such as new prosecutorial tools and a decision to use those tools aggressively.  Authorities say one such tool is Operation Streamline, a federal effort launched in 2005 to prosecute immigrants criminally before deporting them the first time.  If prosecutions continue at the current pace, illegal re-entry cases this year will be 3.5 percent higher than 2010.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2011/08/03/20110803illegal-re-entry-tops-federal-charges.html

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Border Death Tally on Pace this Year to Set a Decade Low

The Arizona Daily Star reports that the 21 border deaths are the second-fewest registered in the summer month of July in the past decade.  On average, 44 bodies have been found along the border every July from 2002 to 2010.  The 2011 border death tally remains on pace to be as low as any year in the last decade but Dr. Gregory Hess, Pima County chief medical examiner, described the occurrence as “different…but not striking.”  Hess explained that the number of deaths has fluctuated every year and he expects this year’s total to come in at the lower end of the average range.  “Until people choose a new area to migrate through or something happens with policy that decreases the number of people that come through the desert, I imagine we’ll continue to see fairly consistent numbers,” Hess said.

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/article_ac61e37a-f80b-5029-8c5b-bd69689e0471.html

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States Can’t Opt Out of Federal Fingerprint Program

The Providence Journal reports that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security clarified that its controversial Secure Communities program was never voluntary, and said it will continue operating the program without agreements from participating jurisdictions.  Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island Affiliate of the ACLU, said the decision has prompted national outrage.  “It means that ICE has been pulling everybody’s legs for two years and claiming that it was voluntary and they’re now saying it never was,” Brown said.  ICE officials insist the move was an effort to remove confusion over the program and that they will continue pushing for their goal of a nationwide roll out by 2013.

http://www.projo.com/news/content/S-COMM_6_08-06-11_J8PJG2R_v6.3a808.html

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Rain Washes Away 40 Feet of U.S.-Mexico Border Fence

The Arizona Daily Star reports that a 40-foot stretch of mesh border fence east of Lukeville in Southwestern Arizona was knocked over by rainwater rushing through a wash during a recent rainstorm.  The hole in the fence marks the latest in a series of challenges for the barrier during rainstorms, said Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Superintendent Lee Baiza.  After water pooled behind the fence and caused flooding damage to the Lukeville Port of Entry and private businesses in 2008, the government installed liftable gates in drainage systems to stop flooding.  During the recent flood, though, the gates were down, Baiza said.  Environmentalists say the recent events show that there should be no border barriers in water crossings. 

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/article_9eaead31-14eb-5474-a5c5-564a980049b2.html

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Rick Perry Challenges Obama Over Border Security Assurances

ABC News reports that Rick Perry had an intense exchange about his views on border security and illegal immigration during a business roundtable in New Hampshire.  When Perry criticized President Obama for border security, a local business owner repeatedly pressed Perry on what he was going to do about the dual problems of border security and illegal immigration.  “You’re not going to ship 12 million people back to whatever country they come from,” Perry said.  Instead, he insisted as president he would tackle the difficult task of devising a solution that avoids “making individuals legal citizens of the United States if they haven’t gone through the proper process.”

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/08/rick-perry-challenges-obama-over-border-security-assurances-maybe-he-was-talking-about-the-canadian-.html

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The Border is Safe, Federal Officials Say

The Texas Tribune reports that U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin fought back against criticism of President Obama’s border security policy, saying the present-day border is more secure than ever.  Bersin said the increase in illegal immigration on the Arizona border in recent years is the result of successful operations in Texas and California, which have driven illegal activity to the Sonoran desert.  “Violent crime is down since 2000 by 17 percent in San Diego, 11 percent in Brownsville, 36 percent in El Paso,”  statistics Bersin says are overshadowed by the ever-present vitriol injected into the debates over immigration and the border.

http://www.texastribune.org/texas-mexico-border-news/texas-mexico-border/cbp-commissioner-border-safe/

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U.S. Issues New Deportation Policy’s First Reprieves

The New York Times reports that the Obama administration’s new policy staying deportation proceedings against illegally present immigrants who meet certain criteria has taken effect.  After five years fighting deportation, Manuel Guerra received news that he was one of the first immigrants to have his deportation canceled by immigration authorities. The new policy could lead to the suspension in coming months of deportation proceedings against tens of thousands of immigrants like Mr. Guerra.  Immigrants who have their cases dropped will remain in a sort of legal limbo, not vulnerable to deportation but with no positive immigration status, which can only be conferred by Congress.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/23/us/23immig.html

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Implementation of Domestic Filing of I-130s for Certain Overseas Petitioners

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that petitioners in countries without USCIS offices must file their Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, with the USCIS lockbox facility in Chicago.  The agency announced the measure as an effort to “reduce costs to the Department of Homeland Security by reducing filings of the Form I-130 at international locations.”  USCIS acknowledged the change may cause hardships for petitioners and posted a memorandum outlining some of the circumstances that may warrant expedited processing at a local embassy or consulate.  Additionally, in light of comments received, USCIS is considering expanding the list of factors under which petitioners will receive expedited processing.

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American Immigration Council Condemns Recent Board of Immigration Appeals Ruling

The American Immigration Council announced that it strongly condemns the recent ruling from the Board of Immigration Appeals holding that immigrants arrested without a warrant are not entitled to certain Miranda-like warnings prior to questioning by immigration officers.  The American Immigration Council contends that as a result of the ruling, noncitizens under arrest will now be even more vulnerable to pressure from interrogating officers. 

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“Self Check” Now Available In Spanish 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced that Self Check, a free online service of E-Verify that allows workers to check their own employment eligibility status, is now available in Spanish and accessible to residents in 16 additional states: California, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Washington. Self Check allows users to compare their information to the same databases that E-Verify accesses, giving them an opportunity to address any existing data mismatches before they are hired by an E-Verify participating employer.

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